The House Always Wins: Create the Home You Love-Without Busting Your Budget PDF
Preview The House Always Wins: Create the Home You Love-Without Busting Your Budget
THE h o u s e A LWAY S W I N S This page intentionally left blank THE h o u s e A LW AY S W I N S Creating the Home You Love— Without Bursting Your Budget Marni Jameson A Member of the Perseus Books Group Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Da Capo Press was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in initial capi- tal letters. Copyright © 2008 by Marnell Jameson All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy- ing, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142. Designed by Lisa Kreinbrink Set in 12-point Goudy by the Perseus Books Group Cataloging-in-Publication data for this book is available from the Library of Congress. First Da Capo Press paperback edition 2009 HC: 978-1-60094-067-5 PB: 978-0-7382-1312-5 Published by Da Capo Press A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 255-1514, or e-mail [email protected]. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 For Paige and Marissa, and for Dan, who makes so much possible This page intentionally left blank Contents Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xi Preface: Come On In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiii PART I—LET’S GET REAL Design basics: Finding your dream house and discovering your style 1 Pick the Right House in the Right Place . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 What to look for when buying an old or new home 2 Background Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 The importance of homework 3 Reality Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Why your home will never look like a model home, and how it can still look great 4 Find Your Style and Create Your Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Think like Plato: Who are you and what are you doing here? PART II—DECISIONS, DECISIONS Selecting wall treatments, flooring, counters, tile, and cabinetry 5 The Big Picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Start with something certain 6 The Color of Indecision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37 Finding the right wall color 7 Floored by the Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 A sane person’s guide to choosing carpet, pad, and wood flooring viii Contents 8 Set in Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 The fine art of picking creative tile, granite, and other stone 9 Cabinets Are Like Cabernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55 The more you know the more you spend 10 Buyer Beware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 Avoiding builder gouge on upgrades: A word from the wary 11 Moving Pains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 What to pack, what to let go of, and how to put your old stuff in a new place 12 No More Reality Television! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Covering windows with style 13 Calling It Curtains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Drapes from the sublime to the simple 14 It’s Not Your Grandma’s Wallpaper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 The brave new world of wallpaper: For some it’s a passion 15 Character Development Begins at Home . . . . . . . . . .105 Building character one doorknob at a time 16 Honey Do, Honey Don’t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 How to know when a home improvement job is for someone else PART III—THE GOODS ON THE GOODS Furnishing your home: Copying good looks, using what you have, finding what you need, getting deals, buying quality 17 What Do-It-Yourself Decorators Don’t Get . . . . . . . . . .115 Basic design advice from top pros 18 Four Places to Find Inspiration (and Rip Off Ideas) .121 What to take away from home design books, shelter magazines, TV shows, home tours, and the color conspiracy—and what to ignore 19 Pulling the Trigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139 Why furniture shopping is so hard, and how to start Contents ix 20 When Something’s Got to Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149 Dealing with furniture mistakes and deaths 21 Bargain Hunting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156 Finding deals, insisting on quality PART IV—THE FINISHING TOUCH Putting home accessories in their place 22 Home Accessories Are Like Dessert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .173 It’s not the first thousand dollars you spend that matter, but the last hundred 23 Selecting Artwork and Area Rugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .180 RULE #1: Buy what you love 24 Arranging Books, Collections, and Other Knickknacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193 Turn a hodgepodge into an artful display 25 Flowers and Houseplants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .202 Getting good fakes, and helping what’s alive thrive PART V—ROOMS FOR A REASON Kids’ rooms, home theaters, offices, guest rooms, laundry and mudrooms, garages 26 Kids’ Rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213 Where decorating and parenting clash 27 Home Theaters for Household Drama . . . . . . . . . . . . .220 The makings of a home theater widow 28 Home Office Is an Oxymoron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .230 A warning to all those who say they want to work from home 29 Company’s Coming and the Guest Room Needs Gutting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .238 They’re he-ere 30 Utility Rooms and Garages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .242 Note to men: Say it with tools
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