How do you want your home to feel? 

That's right - I did not ask you how you want your home to look, but how you want it to feel. 

Do you want it to be cozy, distinguished, laid back, welcoming, cheerful, casual, impressive, fun, airy, futuristic, or is there another feeling you prefer?

photo courtesy of Bill Wilson flickr.com/photos/okchomeseller/13951885986/

If I were to ask you what your favorite interior design style is, what would you say? 

Traditional, modern, contemporary? 

Those answers are very vague and could apply to thousands of homes. 

Many homes are so generic and could belong to most anyone. 

Your home should be reflective of you and your family, not plain and boring. 

In order to have a home specialized to your family, you should have a very defined design style.  

photo courtesy of Monika Clarke flickr.com/photos/minka6/8179520483

I have a new client who recently had his home leveled and now has cracks throughout his drywall walls and ceilings. 

He has a quote to repair the cracks, texture the drywall, and paint the ceiling, but he was wondering if covering his ceiling in a new material instead of fixing the drywall would be a more attractive option for about the same amount of money (or maybe just a little bit more). 

Of coarse, he would have to consider whether the additional weight of the new ceiling would affect the structure of his home. 

Here are a few options that we considered.

photo courtesy of bfick flickr.com/photos/ficken/2150665161

Tuscan style decorating was extremely popular between the years of 2005 and 2010. 

Like most trends, the Tuscan style trend lasted only around 5 years.

Tuscan decor was dominated by the colors dark red, chocolate brown, and gold, the metal finishes wrought iron and oil rubbed bronze, travertine floor tile, exposed dark colored brick, and ornately carved oversized furniture. 

One of the main determining factors as to whether a style is classic or whether it is a trend has to do with the style corresponding to a certain location.  If you live in the location, such as Tuscany, then the style is a classic and you are able to fill your home with authentic quality items from the region.  If you do not live in Tuscany, then the style is a trend and the items you are filling your home with are typically mass produced items of lesser quality.

For those who do not know, the Tuscan trend is over. 

Most any decorating style that is very popular will become just as unpopular in the near future. 

Unfortunately, when a style becomes trendy, retailers sell cheaper knock-off items that might have a slight resemblance to the trend, but are not at all authentic.

Do you really think that true authentic Tuscan homes are filled with ceramic roosters made in China, fake plants, McMansion sized dark ornate furniture, cheap mass produced unframed artwork, and bottles of inedible oil that are used only for decoration?

We are now several years past the Tuscan decorating trend, so you should start phasing those elements out of your home, if you haven't already. 

Most of us can't afford to get rid of every item in our homes with a Tuscan reference, but we can make little changes to freshen our homes and make them more stylish and up to date. 

photo courtesy of Arto Brick flickr.com/photos/artobrick/15832697773/

I have some friends who sold their home and are planning on building a new home in a rural area. 

The husband wants a large shop for his tools and toys, and the wife wants to be in the new home before the kids start school. 

They came up with a brilliant idea - to build a barndominium. 

That was a new word for me. 

They basically want to build a barn that will be half shop and half living quarters where they can live while their main house is being constructed. 

That seemed like a great plan to me! 

Here are some of the advantages to building a barndominium:

photo courtesy of Elizabeth Anderson flickr.com/photos/steelmastersteelbuildings/4194453789