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Designer Molly McCabe and her husband share a love of grilling, entertaining and watching wildlife from their deck on Washington’s Bainbridge Island. For decades, the cedar deck — built by the couple from trees felled on their pond-side property — served as a grilling spot and an outdoor play area for their children.

After their kids left home, the couple set out to reimagine the space for a new chapter. McCabe designed the new deck with aging in place in mind, while also shielding it from the rain that often put a damper on their grilling plans. The result is a fully covered outdoor kitchen, a separate bar and dining area and a seamless, accessible transition between indoors and out.



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GV Design GroupSave Photo
Spend on: Quality Mattress

This one is a no-brainer. “The one thing I’d always invest in is your mattress,” says Gemma Hill of Bayswater Interiors. “You spend so much of your life in bed, and sleep is essential to good health, so this is one area you should try not to scrimp on. Once you close your eyes, other things in the bedroom don’t matter so much, but a mattress really does.”

Good mattresses can seem eye-wateringly expensive, but, as Hill points out, “Many people will happily spend money on their car, for example, but not their beds, even though they spend more time in them.”

For couples who squabble over mattress firmness, she suggests it might be worth investing in one with different zones. For example, you can buy mattresses that are medium on one side and harder on the other to suit both parties, she says.

The official advice is to change our mattress every eight years. “However, if you can’t afford a new mattress, then get a new topper, as this can help extend the life of your mattress,” Hill says.

Pocket-sprung mattresses will offer the greatest comfort, or look for memory foam options that mold to the shape of your body.

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MJ McCabe-Garden DesignSave Photo
6. ‘Strike It Rich’ Rose
(Rosa ‘Strike It Rich’)

Loved by: Janie McCabe of M.J. McCabe Garden Design in Northford, Connecticut

Why this rose: “The color is an amazing golden amber with pink edges; [this rose also] is abundant with flowers in June, and will repeat bloom later in the season. The foliage is a dark green, and it is quite resistant to diseases,” McCabe says. “It has a nice spicy, rich fragrance, making it a lovely addition to the garden — great for cutting too.”

Special features: In addition to its stunning flowers, continuous bloom and distinct scent, ‘Strike It Rich’ is also considered to be naturally vigorous and disease resistant.

Growing tips: “When initially planting, I dig a very generous hole, adding an organic slow-release fertilizer along with green sand,” McCabe says. Once the rose is in the ground, McCabe surrounds it with plenty of compost and then waters it well with a seaweed-and-fish-emulsion fertilizer. “I continue to fertilize my roses with a diluted liquid seaweed-and-fish-emulsion solution about every two to three weeks,” she says.

Where it will grow: Hardy to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 26.1 degrees Celsius (zones 5 to 9)
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full sun
Mature size: 4 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide



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Spend on: Quality Sofas

For most of us, a sofa is our key living room purchase and not worth scrimping on, the experts say.

“A sturdy, well-made sofa will last you years and, when you do get bored of it, you can always re-cover it,” says Natasha Burton of NB Interiors. “Cheap furniture is a false economy as you’ll be replacing it before you know it.”

And don’t forget your sofa’s main purpose. “Most importantly, you want your sofa to be comfortable,” says Caroline Nicholls of Slightly Quirky. “Plus, you want it to be hardwearing and easy to clean, especially if you have kids and/or pets.”

More expensive sofas often have jointed hardwood frames, built to withstand heavy loads. Cheaper sofas may have plastic or softer pine frames. Pricier sofas will also have coil springs or serpentine (zig-zag) springs, for that “sitting on air” feeling.

It really isn’t worth saving money if a too small, too big or awkwardly shaped sofa ruins those cozy evenings spent curled up.

How to Buy a Quality Sofa That Will Last



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Rachel Madden InteriorsSave Photo
Built-in white oak bookcases flank a gas fireplace, above which hangs a landscape painting that Madden bought at an antique store for $85.

“It’s an amazing find,” she says. “It had a big tear, and it was just so beautiful that I decided to repair it. So I found an art restoration company that restores art at the Crocker Art Museum [in nearby Sacramento] and [they] restored that for me.” They also identified the painting as probably Scottish, from the mid-19th century.

The painting was Madden’s jumping-off point for the decorating scheme. “Once I picked the art, my color palette was pretty much set, and then I picked the pillows, the rug and I even reupholstered the living room chairs,” she says. The thick wool green rug and chairs’ performance fabric, she adds, are good options for withstanding wear and tear from kids and pets.

The art also inspired her to scour antique fairs for similarly old-world, vintage pieces, she says, including the dictionaries on the bookshelves, the pitcher on the mantel and the scalloped bowl on the coffee table.

Rug: Armadillo; chair upholstery: Rose Tarlow



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Thompson ConstructionSave Photo
Lindberg’s office is also on the first floor, just off the foyer. Petite and pretty, it has a built-in white oak desk with upper cabinets painted a warm greenish-gray.

Once again, the light fixtures are standout design elements, especially the antiqued brass star suspended from the ceiling.

Among the invisible special features in the office — as well as in most rooms throughout the house — is sound insulation in the walls and between the ceilings and floors. “When you’ve got your loud subwoofers playing your movies in the basement, [you] can knock down the sound by over 50%,” Thompson says. “It’s almost like not having anybody down there.”

Upper cabinet paint: Carolina Gull, Benjamin Moore; Rex pendant light: Arteriors; sconces: Clarkson, Visual Comfort



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Thompson ConstructionSave Photo
Lindberg’s office is also on the first floor, just off the foyer. Petite and pretty, it has a built-in white oak desk with upper cabinets painted a warm greenish-gray.

Once again, the light fixtures are standout design elements, especially the antiqued brass star suspended from the ceiling.

Among the invisible special features in the office — as well as in most rooms throughout the house — is sound insulation in the walls and between the ceilings and floors. “When you’ve got your loud subwoofers playing your movies in the basement, [you] can knock down the sound by over 50%,” Thompson says. “It’s almost like not having anybody down there.”

Upper cabinet paint: Carolina Gull, Benjamin Moore; Rex pendant light: Arteriors; sconces: Clarkson, Visual Comfort



This article was originally published by a
www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Seattle interior designer Harmony Weihs and her husband have four children between them, three of whom still live at home. They wanted a house where they could be comfortable and casual while spending time together. After they’d saved enough, they found a very tight real estate market and limited options for a house with four bedrooms in the kids’ school district.

However, the designer knew she could transform any house into a comfortable and functional home for the family. “It had been seven years since I’d been able to own and remodel a home, and I was so excited to do it again,” she says. In the house they eventually purchased, Weihs acted as both designer and general contractor, adding character and altering the floor plan to accommodate the casual way her family likes to cook, eat, watch games, study, do puzzles, take naps and catch up on each other’s day.



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Seattle interior designer Harmony Weihs and her husband have four children between them, three of whom still live at home. They wanted a house where they could be comfortable and casual while spending time together. After they’d saved enough, they found a very tight real estate market and limited options for a house with four bedrooms in the kids’ school district.

However, the designer knew she could transform any house into a comfortable and functional home for the family. “It had been seven years since I’d been able to own and remodel a home, and I was so excited to do it again,” she says. In the house they eventually purchased, Weihs acted as both designer and general contractor, altering the floor plan to accommodate the casual way her family likes to cook, eat, watch games, study, do puzzles, take naps and catch up on each other’s day.



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .



Save by: Calculating Carefully

To be able to spend more on quality materials, think about how you can save on things such as delivery charges. “If you can, do your utility room at the same time as your kitchen from the same supplier,” Patey says. “It will save money on delivery, installation and countertops.

“Also, always go for wider cabinets over narrower for both kitchen and utility,” he adds. “Fewer wide cabinets are not only more useful, they’re cheaper per linear [foot].”

A knowledgeable kitchen designer will be able to guide you through the choices that suit your needs. “We know the right questions to ask to ensure you buy only what you need and what you’ll use,” Berry says. “Talking through the features and benefits of every appliance, fixture and fitting avoids overbuying.”



This article was originally published by a www.houzz.com . Read the Original article here. .

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