What’s more, this special family heirloom adds a personal touch, and gives us an important story to tell.  You, too, can successfully incorporate your family’s warm memories into your decor.  Following are some suggestions:

Accent with Artwork

Remember those stacks of old paintings and photos you have sitting in the attic or garage?  Think about sorting through them, refurbishing if necessary, and selecting some updated frames to spruce them up.

We love old watercolor family portraits that date back to the early 20th century – these can be easily hung on walls or placed on side tables alongside today’s furnishings for a lovely, personal touch.

Accessorizing with Antiques

Each antique treasure is unique and has a potential place in your home.  For example, was one of your ancestors an aspiring writer?  Consider displaying an antique typewriter on a more modern side table. Don’t let value – or the lack thereof – get in the way of showcasing your antiques or family heirlooms.

One of my friends has her great grandmother’s cookie jar inscribed with the family name – she keeps in on her newly installed granite countertop and it looks just perfect there!

Adding a special family piece to children’s rooms is also a nice touch.  An heirloom chest, pictured here, can complement your existing decor or create a new focal point.

I also have a business associate who has moved her grandmother’s 1934 Knabe baby grand everywhere she has lived since she was 12.  Her husband refinished the piece and had the piano keys refaced for a fresh look that works in their eclectically decorated hi-rise condominium.

Tasteful Placement is the Key

For those with a treasure trove of historic souvenirs, don’t display so many of them that your home begins to resemble a museum. Instead, think carefully about how each piece will look with the colors, textures and shapes of your existing furnishings.  And remember, it is okay to mix all sorts of styles, especially if you can find a common thread to pull it all together.

Finally, if you have an inherited piece of furniture with perfect lines but dated upholstery, simply recover it!  Select a fabric that blends well with your other furniture while still retaining the warmth and beauty of your heirloom.  Don’t be afraid to be creative!

Have you successfully incorporated a family heirloom into your home decor?  Please let us know how (and send a photo too) so we can share it here.

Luxury Home Solutions is a full-service construction company that designs, builds and installs — direct from our manufacturers — the many elements it takes to create the home of your dreams. We have more than 30 years’ experience in luxury home construction, design, remodeling, renovations and updates, as well as routine maintenance and repairs. Luxury Home Solutions has built more than 1,000 homes and installed more than 7,000 kitchens.  Our dedication to our clients is unparalleled and we have spent decades building trust, confidence, and relationships to last a lifetime.

Joni Hall

Luxury Home Solutions

www.mylhs.com

If you live in Florida, you recognize the change of seasons – no matter how subtle those clues are.

With the whisper of spring breezes, many of us want to get outdoors and dress up the outside of our homes with fragrant, colorful flowers.

Our tropical and subtropical climates offer so much beauty and variety – but it does take thought and planning to make sure we are planting the right flowers at the right time.

I learned a lot by reading an article published by the University of Florida’s Lee County Extension Service* and here are some tips that may help you as you dig up your weeds and get your hands and hoes into the rich, loamy soil. Happy planting!

When to Plant

Ask your local nursery expert to point out the annuals – plants that germinate, flower, seed and die all in one growing season.  Since many biennials and perennials may not be adapted for sustained growth in our climate, sticking with annuals takes out some of the guesswork. Annuals that grow well in the cool season should be planted in early spring and those that can tolerate high temperatures and humidity should be planted in late spring.

Coleus, wax begonias and salvias may be planted year-round.

Where to Plant

Make sure you note the correct sun and irrigation exposures for your new flowers and plants.

How to Feed Your Plants

Garden soils here are frequently infertile.  Prior to planting, fertilize your flowerbeds with 6-6-6 at the rate of two pounds per 100 square feet of bed area.  Controlled release fertilizers are perfect for Florida’s sandy soils.

What to Plant in Spring

A few very pretty bedding flowers that will do well this time of year include:

Crossandra

Gaillardia (Blanket flower)

Portulaca (Moss rose)

Purslane

Cleome (Spider flower)

Torenia (Summer pansy)

I am excited to get started in my own garden – I love how my home looks when I drive up and see the fresh plants and flowers.

Hopefully this information helped you too – and while you are working in your garden, remember to stop and smell the roses!

Let us know if you have any tips you would like to share with our readers.

Luxury Home Solutions is a full-service construction company that designs, builds and installs — direct from our manufacturers — the many elements it takes to create the home of your dreams. We have more than 30 years’ experience in luxury home construction, design, remodeling, renovations and updates, as well as routine maintenance and repairs. Luxury Home Solutions has built more than 1,000 homes and installed more than 7,000 kitchens.  Our dedication to our clients is unparalleled and we have spent decades building trust, confidence, and relationships to last a lifetime.

Joni Hall

Luxury Home Solutions

www.mylhs.com

*University of Florida, Lee County Extension Service, “Bedding Plants for Southwest Florida,” Stephen H. Brown, Lee County Horticulture Agent.

Welcome spring! Springtime’s arrival means blooming flowers, warm breezes and yes, spring cleaning. Some perceive this as a daunting, much dreaded task – but look on the bright side. There’s nothing like the feeling of a refreshed, shiny, clean home – with our helpful tips you’ll be on your way to a cheery, optimistic outlook on your home, and on life.

I have begun de-cluttering in my own home, trying to decide what goes to goodwill, what goes to a yard sale, what goes in the trash. Our version of spring cleaning is going on right now at our house. We (along with some outside help) are:

1-Pressure washing the outside of my house/roof/driveway/railings

2-Getting the pool ready and in shape for daily use (Luxury Home Solutions is helping with this. Remember to check the pool heater /pump/hot tub)

3-Changing the cushions on the furniture – recover when necessary

4-Planting fresh flowers after the dry season in the pots around the yard

5-Trimming trees and debris from the yard to prevent wildfires and clutter

6-Setting new mulch in the flowers beds

7-Annual checkup on the a/c unit before summer heats up (call in the pros)

8-Creating a new furniture arrangement in the family room/ freshen the throw pillows with new covers

9-Ceaning out the office files after taxes are done

10- Whew! Relaxing with an umbrella drink garnished with fresh fruit of the season, of course!

Here are some other ideas that you can try at home:

A friend of mine recommends that after you empty and wipe down your cabinets, use super thin indoor/outdoor carpet as a cabinet liner. It’s easy to cut and shape for any size and width cabinet. If it gets dirty, just slide it out and shake it off.

Embarrassed by worn out or ragged sheets and towels when your guests arrive? Recycled towels can become car wash rags, and sheets make great tablecloths/drop cloths for cleaning the ceiling fans and outdoor crafts.

It’s a great feeling to select all new linens in a bright new color. WHITE is my favorite for every room, giving bed and bath that fresh spring clean feeling. Besides being light and cheery, it’s easy to match if you have to get another set later.

Please send me any of your helpful ideas to share with our readers. Happy Spring to you!

Luxury Home Solutions is a full-service construction company that designs, builds and installs — direct from our manufacturers — the many elements it takes to create the home of your dreams. We have more than 30 years’ experience in luxury home construction, design, remodeling, renovations and updates, as well as routine maintenance and repairs. Luxury Home Solutions has built more than 1,000 homes and installed more than 7,000 kitchens.  Our dedication to our clients is unparalleled and we have spent decades building trust, confidence, and relationships to last a lifetime.

Joni Hall

Luxury Home Solutions

www.mylhs.com

In my own home, I have discovered several easy ways to protect our environment.  There are simple steps we can all take that will truly make a difference in the long run.  Here are four to get you started as we think “green” this weekend.

Keep your cool…

If you set a programmable thermostat, it will automatically adjust the heat or the air-conditioning to match your day-to-day routine. You won’t waste energy while you are out, and you won’t have to remember to turn the thermostat up or down when you return. An even better idea? If you live in a southern climate, turn it up just two degrees (down if you are in a northern climate during winter).  Believe it or not, you will keep nearly 880 pounds of carbon dioxide from warming the earth – really!

It’s a wash…

…except if you don’t wash it.  Did you know that standard washing machines use 40 gallons of water per load? If your clothes are not really that dirty, it’s okay not to wash them – and save a load a week.  If all American households actually did this, we could save enough water to fill more than seven million swimming pools. When you do wash, put full loads (saving 3,400 gallons of water a year) in cold water.  This will help save on your gas or electric use.

Lose your lint…

The average U.S. household spends up to $135 a year in energy costs drying clothes. A dirty lint filter can use 30 percent more energy collecting your lint, and it can limit the life of your dryer. So remember to empty it out after each load.

Assess your appliance…

You can save energy by simply choosing the right appliance for the job. Electric kettles use less energy than stovetop ones. A toaster oven uses up to half the energy of a conventional electric oven. An electric crock-pot makes soups and stews using less wattage than a stove.

Paying attention to these simple adjustments can help save energy, money and yes, our environment.  See how “green” you can be!

To all our readers, Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Luxury Home Solutions is a full-service construction company that designs, builds and installs — direct from our manufacturers — the many elements it takes to create the home of your dreams. We have more than 30 years’ experience in luxury home construction, design, remodeling, renovations and updates, as well as routine maintenance and repairs. Luxury Home Solutions has built more than 1,000 homes and installed more than 7,000 kitchens.  Our dedication to our clients is unparalleled and we have spent decades building trust, confidence, and relationships to last a lifetime.

Joni Hall

Luxury Home Solutions

www.mylhs.com

On the runway, we saw designers presenting varied textures and vibrant hues including head-to-toe animal prints and warrior-like tribal dresses.

Complementing that trend in home furnishings side, we are seeing many tribal and cultural designs coming out of the High Point Market – especially in fabrics, but in hardware as well.

Another standout was the diversity of color on some of the latest dresses, offering a renewed sense of optimism for spring. From bold brights to soft pastels, colors coming out in both fashion and home furnishings expressed a feeling of better days to come. Gorgeous tones of tangy tangerine, powerful yellow, bellflower purple and rosy red were among the new introductions from Pantone, the global color experts.

On the home front, these strong pops of color are displayed in furniture finishes and fabrics with a lot of the light wood tones (driftwood, oak and whitewash) mixed in with the dark and medium finishes.

One of the things I love best about my work is being among the first to learn about home fashion trends.  For me, it’s really exciting to see the new colors and touch all the new fabrics. We work closely with our interior designer “partners” to provide the latest and greatest in colors and trends to our clients.

We are also privileged to be part of the process every step of the way – designing the home, supplying and installing. So when we discover new trends along the way, we can immediately incorporate them into our projects.

Check back here often for new ideas and trends we are following.

Luxury Home Solutions is a full-service construction company that designs, builds and installs — direct from our manufacturers — the many elements it takes to create the home of your dreams. We have decades of experience in luxury home construction, design, remodeling, renovations and updates, as well as routine maintenance and repairs.  Our dedication to our clients is unparalleled and we have spent decades building trust, confidence, and relationships to last a lifetime.

Joni Hall

Luxury Home Solutions

www.mylhs.com

10 Things Every Kitchen Must Have and

What I love About My Kitchen

One of the things I love most about my job is the opportunity to help people create the kitchen of their dreams. The kitchen is such an important part of not only the home but the family! We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking, eating, sharing and entertaining guests so this space deserves the extra time and attention needed in its creation. Below are ten things I believe every kitchen should have and then if you scroll down further I’d love to share my kitchen with you!

 1. Natural Light

Look for ways to maximize light, from eliminating cabinets next to windows to using transparent or reflective materials like glass and stainless steel.

2. Visual Texture

It’s the mix of woods, countertop materials, and finishes that creates warmth, personality, and mood.

 3. Stainless Steel

The consummate neutral, it looks great with everything and will never go out of style. I love its organic quality — it develops a well-worn patina over time.

 4. An Island

If space allows, an island is essential. It’s the social center of the kitchen.

 5. A Great Sink

Accessories such as an integrated colander and a sliding cutting board make working there more efficient.

6. Integrated Refrigeration

Creating cabinet facades to hide refrigeration units gives me a tremendous amount of design freedom. By eliminating a large, boxy element, I can make a kitchen feel more room-like.

 7. High-Performance Appliances

Today, high-efficiency burners and ovens with convection and self-cleaning are really indispensable.

8. A Hook

Every great kitchen has a hook, that one unique element that just pulls you in. It could be a hood, a sink, a pot rack.

 9. A Kitchen Designer

Kitchen design is complicated, and the landscape is constantly changing. Hiring a professional is perhaps the most valuable investment you will make.

 10. Ice Cream

In my opinion, no kitchen is complete without it.

Here’s what I love about MY kitchen!

I Love that my kitchen has room for family gatherings. The easiest way to draw family together for an enjoyable evening is with a good home-cooked meal!

I love the natural light flows in and highlights the visual textures in this space. The antique wool rugs help to soften the room, the richness of the cherry wood, and the silk valance over the sink each add an element of personality to the large kitchen.

The large appliances, a 48″ Thermador Range and an Integrated 48″ Sub-Zero refrigerator both look right at home in this over sized space, designed to accommodate a large family.

On either side of the sink, 2 dishwasher are hidden behind cabinet doors, one for clean, one for dirty.  Much easier that way! All the latest appliances, Built-in Coffee/espresso maker, warming drawer, convection-microwave,  and a Steamer in the island!! The island is the central hub of the entire house – great for setting out the buffet style meals.

I have a lot of electric outlets in the tile work – so I had a painter come in and paint the switches to look like the tile.  Suddenly they disappear.  She also painted the bottom toe space of the appliances to match the cabinet doors where the metal of the appliance was showing through.

Now for the Cookie dough Ice Cream!!

At Luxury Home Solutions, we Design, Supply, and Install.  As General Contractors , we are able to not only create the designs with the use of in-house design team, but supplymany of the products that we purchase direct from the manufacturers, and  installusing our own employees.  Our dedication to our clients is unparalleled as we build trust, confidence, and relationships that last a lifetime.  As a full-service construction company, we excel in luxury home construction, design and remodeling, renovations and updates, as well as routine maintenance and repairs.

Joni Hall

Luxury Home Solutions

www.mylhs.com

In a day and age where we have become more Eco friendly and budget conscious we have so many options for home decor! But just because we want to go green or save money doesn’t mean we have to go with something unattractive or out of style. I love getting  creative with the re-purposing of items in a home  and below are just a few ideas that can help you turn something old into something new for your personal space!

Here Landis Carey gives us a great idea for an outdoor table. This works great for those of us in Southwest Florida! The idea of dining outdoors right now is mostly a fantasy for the majority of the country, but we can still dream, can’t we? Made of solid concrete that was salvaged from a remodel, this table is bound to withstand the test of time and weather. There’s no snow or rain that will make it warp or rot, so if you’re in the market for a new outdoor dining table, this might be a great solution! Click here for more.

I love this beautiful serving tray, made from a salvaged Cabinet door.  If you get started on this project now, you could have your own special serving trays before VALENTINES DAY!! One of these would make an awesome gift for someone who loves breakfast in bed, don’t you think?

Here is another great outdoors idea that works perfectly with our all year-long warm Florida weather – these old doors were re-purposed as a beautiful Arbor! Talk about showing your garden some love this year! We found more ideas for doors so please keep reading!

Chairs made from nothing but newspaper via Inhabitat. The very cool furniture that David Stovell is making out of carefully rolled newspaper – something that could be done at home if you have the patience! Click here for more.

Here’s another creative way to reuse an old door – how about a new swing for your back lanai or front porch? There are many beautiful nights where you just want to sit back and enjoy a cool southwest Florida breeze outside. Now you can!

This one is just amazing! It’s an ottoman made from an old washing machine drum. Creatively unique idea!

How about putting those old jeans of yours to good use? You can still sit on them and give your old chair a nice, new yet relaxing look!

Here’s another great idea for putting that old door to good use. How about a new headboard to give your guest bedroom a fresh new look?

We found a number of nice examples of doors being re-purposed as a headboard. This last one has a more natural wood look to it.

At Luxury Home Solutions, we Design, Supply, and Install.  As General Contractors , we are able to not only create the designs with the use of in-house design team, but supplymany of the products that we purchase direct from the manufacturers, and  installusing our own employees.  Our dedication to our clients is unparalleled as we build trust, confidence, and relationships that last a lifetime.  As a full-service construction company, we excel in luxury home construction, design and remodeling, renovations and updates, as well as routine maintenance and repairs.

Joni Hall

Luxury Home Solutions

www.mylhs.com

As this year 2011 comes to an end we reflect on everything we have to be grateful for.  We truly appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve you over the years. We appreciate your trust in us and the friendships that have grown over time. We look forward to many more years of success, prosperity and abundance for all. Thank you for being such a valuable part of our business!

Wishing you Peace, Joy and Prosperity this Holiday Season from our family to yours! Happy New Year 2012 from Luxury Home Solutions!

During this beautiful time of the year we send you blessings, love, joy and prosperity from our family to yours! We appreciate your preference over the years. It’s such an honor to serve you. We value the trust you put in us and we look forward to serving you for many years to come!

May all your wishes come true this Holiday Season! Merry Christmas from Luxury Home Solutions!

Luxury Home Solutions

239.963.4093 – Naples
239.728.2143 – Fort Myers
239.728.3889 – Fax