Decorating Ideas for Your New Year's Eve Party

Now that the holidays are over, it's time to start planning your next big party - of course, we're talking about New Year's Eve! This is the perfect time to let your creative juices flow! We're here to help make your celebration feel complete with a few simple design ideas sure to make your party stand out from the rest!  

Sophisticated celebratory colors like black, white, silver, and gold can be used to dress your party room. Try to keep everything in this color scheme and pick one main color and use for at least half of your decor and then the other three colors for accents. You can even add your pops of color from your food like chocolate covered strawberries or red velvet cupcakes! 

Since parties typically center around food and drinks, make sure your table is the main attraction! That's easy to do with a simple black or white tablecloth, placemats in your color palette, gold flatware, wine glasses, and crystal candle holders with silver or gold candles! Those are just a few ideas to get you started. Of course, customize the table decorations to fit your party needs and personal design style! 

Every party needs a conversation piece so why not use a bare wall in your house to make that statement! Try something fun like decorating the wall with streamers or a metallic fringed backdrop to create a memorable photo booth. Or, hang black wallpaper and let your guests write with gold pens fun notes, their resolutions or hilarious stories from this past year. You can then take the wallpaper down and have a keepsake for years to come! 

Decorating for a party should be fun! Don't get overwhelmed by all of the options. Just start with a theme or color palette and let your creativity take over! There are no rules other than making sure your decorations are a reflection of who you are, and what you want your guests to remember!

Cheers to an exciting 2017!!! 

How To Make Your Guests Feel Welcomed

With the holidays just days away, we're here to help make your house guests feel welcomed! Whether it's family members staying at your place, or renters at your property, below are three ways to have your guests feeling right at home!

Consider the Details

Being a good host doesn't mean you need to break the bank. It can be as simple as picking up an issue of their favorite magazine or book that you know they'll enjoy. Place clean towels at the foot of the bed and of course fresh flowers on the nightstand. You can even go one step further and DVR the shows they love. All of these little details will make your guests know you're happy they're there and that you want them to be comfortable. 

Anticipate Their Needs

Leave breath mints in the drawer and bottles of water by the bed. If they're going to be there for an extended amount of time, provide a robe and slippers. If you have guests staying at your property from out of town, a nice touch would be to leave a guidebook so they can navigate the area. 

Think Like A Hotel

Inevitably, guests always forget to pack something, so it's nice to offer a little basket of toiletries from mouthwash to a razor. It's also nice to use a calming scent in the room so spritz with a dash of lavender spray!

If you want to go next level, in the morning, get good pastries, fruit, and coffee so you'll leave them with an experience they'll never forget! At the end of the day, just think about what makes you feel warm and welcomed when you're staying anywhere other than your home. The goal is to create that same experience for your guests; whether they're family, friends or out-of-towners staying at your rental property. We can help you make your guests feel welcomed in every way. Contact us for more details! 

How to Bring Palm Springs to Your Home

Palm Springs design is so distinctive, it has been dubbed, "Desert Modernism." As early as the 1920's, modern architects had their sights set on this area, which was encouraged by the growing tourism industry, led by Hollywood Celebrity vacationers. 

Palm Springs Mid-Century style is even more popular than in the past and it can be achieved simply by adding bright pops of color, texture and reflective metal finishes. It's all about design that is bright, glamorous, crisp and clean! 

Read our top three tips for incorporating this Desert Modernism style into your home!

 

Reflective Finishes 

Bring the sparkle by incorporating elements with reflective finishes. The choice is yours whether you want it to be small finishes or large-scale installations throughout your space. You can do this by adding brass or chrome tapered legs to your existing furniture pieces or mirror-finished and or brass wall sculptures. Adding metallic art to your walls creates installations that are both personal and unique to you and your style. 

Add Pops of Color to a White Space

Remember, the key to this design is to keep it glamorous, crisp and clean. So, when you're incorporating a color into a space that is predominately white, a good method is to focus on a variety of shapes and sizes. You also have the option to go bold with a large colorful statement piece like a sofa or pair of chairs.  The exterior of the home below is shown with a bold statement! Start with smaller pieces like decorative ornaments or artwork and remember to take risks!

 

Using Neutral Colors

A general theme with Palm Springs design style is to keep your space immaculate in appearance. The easiest way to accomplish that is by using light, natural colors. Keep your flooring, walls, and surfaces neutral and then add in the accents of bright color like we described above!

You don't have to live in California to snag the Palm Springs design, we can help you achieve this look anywhere your home is located! Contact us today so we can get started on making your space feel like a desert style oasis! 

We love visiting Palm Springs, if you happen to make it there, drive through the Twin Palms area.  Some of favorite homes are located there.

Happy Holidays!

Design & Manage

How to Make Your Home Office Work for You

Working from home has become more than just a trend, it's the future and will continue to grow in popularity. Whether you're building your business, looking for a quiet space to be creative or working your 9-5, it's important to set-up your office in a way that will work for you! Below are three tips to help get you started!

Find Your Power Position
Position your desk to face either the entrance of the room or where guests would typically sit. This is a good arrangement for anyone who needs privacy or wants to convey the same feeling of when meeting with clients. This placement also allows you to be completely aware when someone enters the room so you can avoid "cubical paranoia." 

Embrace Multitasking
As mentioned earlier, your home office can be used for more than just answering work emails and completing work projects. Set the space up so you can use it for various things that interest you or make your day-to-day tasks easier.

Go for Quiet
Sometimes your work might be silent or more contemplative. Whether you're writing an email or reading one, learning a new subject or preparing for a meeting, it's important to choose a space in your home that allows you to concentrate when needed. A quiet simple spot can be incredibly beneficial to productivity. 

At Design & Manage, we can take any room and turn it into a space to organize paperwork, keep track of schedules, plan events, allow your creative juices to flow, increase work productivity or anything else you can imagine! Contact us today and let's start creating! 

Income Property Design Tips

Want to know how to turn your rental property into an income property? We have design tips to help you receive top dollar from your short or long-term tenants. At Design and Manage, we can manage your property, design it and handle all guest relations - all you have to do is sit back and watch the money roll in! Let's take a look at how one of the largest demographics will effect your design choices.

Millennials make up a large percentage of dwellers, so it is important to understand their rental needs. In doing so, you'll make sure your space is appealing to this group that has firmly cemented themselves into the housing market.  

Did you know that about 76% of Millennials own a cat or dog? So making sure to offer a pet-friendly rental option is very important. What's even more critical is that your space is designed in a pet-proof way. A few options for this would be to use tile or commercial vinyl as opposed to carpet throughout the space; use a velvet kitchen and bath paint (cleans easier) with either a tile base or wall base in lieu of baseboards; add extra HVAC filters on all ventilation ducts. Lastly, add a weight limit for pets.

Millennials also like to cook more and dine out less than the previous generation. Thus, having a modern, updated kitchen can be huge for the 61% of this market that enjoys a home cooked meal! Updated faucets, sufficient lighting, preparation space and an island can go a long way in making your rental more enticing. 

Lastly, Millennials and most of your potential guests/renters will rate your property higher on their list, if you can offer outdoor space. Providing communal outdoor socialization spaces can really help your rental business boom! Not possible in the current space you own? Don't fret! Bring the outdoors, in with adding tons of greenery (e.g., flowers, plants, etc.), let natural light invade your home, and use natural floors and materials. This provides the illusion of a combined indoor/outdoor space. 

We take the guesswork out of interior design and property management. We are a one-stop shop to start and elevate your income property so contact us today!