Christmas in July

The year is half over, and it’s hard to believe that we’ll soon be seeing Christmas decorations in the department stores. Time moves quickly, doesn’t it?

July is the perfect time to plan for your year-end family gatherings. If you’re thinking about updating your dining room, powder room or kitchen to prepare for the laughter, warmth and holiday cheer, it’s the perfect time to start your project so you have time to relax before your company arrives.

My Top 10 List of High Impact Spruce-Ups for Holiday Entertaining in Style:

• Update your powder room with a new mirror, lighting, a new paint color, or wallpaper for a quick and easy makeover.

• Change your kitchen counters and install a new sink and faucet. Think about adding a hot water dispenser and filter for instant hot chocolate or tea. Here are some great options for countertops using beautiful, and yet anti-microbial finishes that are more practical than standard granite.

• Install under and over cabinet lighting on dimmers for dramatic ambiance for parties.

• Enhance your views both inside and outside with custom-designed window treatments in your dining room and family room. Trends are moving toward simpler and sleeker styles with understated hardware.

• Rearrange your furniture, rugs and accessories for a quick update and add decorative pillows that express your personality.

• Change your wall colors with updated shades for fall. Here are a few great colors from Benjamin Moore that could transform your rooms without a major investment of time or money.

• Replace your dining room chandelier with a new style and purchase a neutral textured rug to create a more relaxed space to share a Thanksgiving meal with your family and friends. Another easy update is to reupholster your dining room chairs.

• Be voted the most fabulous host by adding special touches to your guest bedroom and bathroom. Update your bedside lamps with a new style and three-way bulbs for reading, add an iPod docking station, a carafe and glass, a vase for fresh flowers, a guest book for special memories of the visit, and crisp new bed linens and draperies. Select special bath salts, aromatherapy scents and fluffy new towels.

• Hardwood is the ever-popular flooring choice for dining rooms, so consider a fabulous new floor to show off your brand new rug.

• Add a small wet bar in a space close to your entertaining areas with a fabulous Sub-Zero Wine refrigerator with drawers for soft drinks and mixers, a warming drawer for snacks and a small dishwasher for convenience.

Christmas in July & August:  Start a design project with me this summer and receive 15% off window fabric for your project. Email here for more information.

Ho, ho ho!