Hey there folks! Hope you are doing well and enjoying this April weather.
As interior designers, we are constantly dreaming up new and better ways to do things. Not only in regards to the design or redesign of spaces, but also coming up with ideas or hacks, if you will, to make our houses feel more like homes. Today, EED’s design team brings you our favorite “home inspired” life hacks. We do this for a living, friends – so you can bet we have quite the list of tried and true ticks that will help you save time and money.
Jodi says, “When space is precious, getting creative is a must! That is what we did for this two-bedroom Condo in Downtown Des Moines. The guest bedroom needed to double as an office space so we designed and added this murphy bed system with shelving and a built-in custom quartz countertop. This keeps up with the same clean, sophisticated style as the rest of the home and provides the function needed. Yes, the bed is super comfortable too!”
Ashtyn has a great hack for hanging artwork!:
“A great design hack I have learned over the years with hanging so many pieces of artwork is the tape trick! If you are hanging artwork that has two picture hooks, the easiest way to make sure you limit the amount of holes in your wall and make sure your picture stays level.
Step By Step Directions:
1. Grab some painters tape that is safe for walls, a level, and a tape measure.
2. Extend the tape out so that it reaches both picture hooks and keep the top of the hook at the top edge of the tape.
3. Mark each top spot with a pen or pencil.
4. Grab a level and remove your tape from the back of your artwork piece.
5. Find the wall space you want to hang your picture on and Stick the tape at the height you want your picture to be hung at
6. Take the level and double check (in three different spots) that the tape you stuck to the wall is level.
8. To double check that your piece is in the perfect spot and its level step back and look or take a tape measure and measure from the ceiling or floor to each dot that you put on the tape. If things are looking level go ahead and nail directly through the tape right on each dot.
9. Remove the tape from your wall.
10. Hang up your picture and make sure to check with your level one more time!
I know it seems like a lot of steps but I promise it is so fast and almost foolproof. We used this trick to hang all of the artwork in the 2022 show home and it made hanging artwork so easy!
Marah’s favorite hack is a great way to make your throw pillows look extra full and voluminous! Extra bonus is that it’s super easy – just buy your inserts one size too big. For instance, if your throw pillow shams (or covers) are 20” x 20”, buy 22” x 22” pillow inserts. This will give you magazine-worthy, fuller looking pillows that look expensive! Another tip is to use down or feather pillow inserts when you can.
If you ask Katie, her favorite hack deals with large furniture layouts! “One of my favorite hacks is with bigger furniture! I love any time we can make a piece multi-functional. Sectionals are most of our clients favorite pieces of furniture. They create this cozy space for everyone to gather and spend time together, but they are so large and bulky that they are hard to reuse again in a new space. You can still get the same result using either 2 sofas or a sofa and a loveseat. It allows you to still form an L shape with the 2 sofas meeting at a corner OR you can move them around to have the sofas face each other. This also allows for great flexibility when the holidays come around and you have to move something in order to get that tree to fit or move them around for get togethers or even just because you want a little change. I love the flexibility that 2 sofas give you for future possibilities. Switch out a coffee table for an ottoman and you even get the same feel of putting your feet up like a sectional corner or chaise!”
Life hacks are the best, especially when they can help you save time and money or make things around your home look better than ever! Hopefully these home related hacks have inspired you to switch up a few easy aspects of your home. If you think your project extends further than the scope of these hacks, contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation with our owner and CEO, Jodi! Let us assist you in achieving your vision!
Have a wonderful day!
EED Assistant Designer,
Marah Schmitz