Accent Walls, Trim, and Color Palettes, Oh My!

Accent Walls, Trim, and Color Palettes, Oh My!

When painting the inside of your home, you have to consider all aspects of the room from the walls, to the trim, and all the accents in between. D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling wants to get you headed in the right direction with each aspect with some helpful tips!

Paint last!

You may already know this, but we can’t say it enough! Paint is the easiest thing to change in a room, so if you are redecorating, you may already be attached to a certain hue, but David Juarez, owner of D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling, asserts, “Furniture and décor is pretty straight forward and standard, but color has thousands upon thousands of options, so don’t work yourself into a design corner by picking a color and then being unable to find coordinating furniture and accents. You’ll end up picking furniture you don’t even like because it’s what matches. Make sure that doesn’t happen by picking paint last!”

The Big Idea.

Those thousands upon thousands of colors provide limitless possibilities, but the amount of options can be daunting. D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling has tips on finding The Perfect Palette by finding inspiration from within the room and the things you love. We are obviously willing to help, but if you need a starting place, pull from the colors in the furniture and décor. D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling can match anything!

Adding Accents.

An accent wall is an easy way to add character to a color design, but you may be questions how to incorporate an accent wall into the room you are painting. There may be a logical wall to use as an accent wall, but, if not, you want to find a wall with a balance of space. If you have too much open space, it will be too much accent color, but if you have your accent color covered up by windows and drapes, you’ll have a different problem.

 

Trim it Out.

When picking a trim color, you’ll want to decide whether you want to contrast or coordinate. For instance, if you have a dark color on the walls and you plan to coordinate, you’ll want to have a darker color on the trim as well. If, however, you want contrast, you would pair dark wall colors with a bright white or neutral shade for trim. Juarez recommends, “Look at pictures online of other rooms to see which effect you favor.”

D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling loves helping people get the best palette for their walls, accent walls, and trim to suit them and their home, but these tips can help you look for inspiration and form ideas about what you like best!

More than a Backyard

More than a Backyard

D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling is a family business and believes that families are the priority when redesigning any portion of your home. In the case of your backyard, what may appear to outsiders as just another landscape or just another patio is so much more when your family or friends get involved. We spell out a few features that make your backyard go from house to home just by adding the people!

Fire Pit

While a fire pit may seem like a commonplace feature in a backyard, the focal point it creates is priceless. The family can gather around a warm fire in the evening or the kids and their friends can have a night of laughter and s’mores. It creates a natural environment for relaxing with family and guests. David Juarez, owner of D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling states, “You can look forward to spending time around a fire pit because it is low maintenance entertainment, so everyone-host and guests- can take part in the festivities and enjoy a s’more or two.”

 

Lawn

The lawn is not only there to keep green! It’s there to make space for outdoor play. With room for pick-up games of baseball or kickball, the kids from the neighborhood will be encouraged to spend time at your home when the good weather hits. And it creates a better venue for parents to watch their kids interact on a more personal level than at a school’s stadium. Juarez asserts, “We have so much enjoyment from the fact that our kids friends are comfortable hanging out at our house and that we have space for them to enjoy being outdoors.”

Landscape

A tree isn’t just a tree and a shrub isn’t just for looks! It’s an excellent hiding spot for a late game of hide-and-seek. Tall grasses are a jungle to be explored. A pond with a few fish and a turtle can entertain little ones for hours. According to Juarez, “The landscape is not all about looks. It’s about creating an environment where the kids can play and let their imaginations invent. As they grow older, they’ll hold onto those memories. My daughter loves to see the turtle in the pond each year! It’s little things like that.”

Outdoor Kitchen

Having a kitchen or outdoor grill alongside a seating area creates an easy entertaining space! With everything outside, the clean-up will be easy and with little traffic through the house, entertaining will become as enjoyable for the hosts as it is for everyone else! It also encourages a great environment in the neighborhood if the neighbors are able to pop over and say hello when your family is having a great time on the patio! Juarez believes, “It’s not about having a grill or outdoor kitchen. It’s more about having a space where your family can have fun and create memories and sharing a meal is a great way to do that.”

These are just a few things that can transform your backyard from being just another landscape. These features create a living space that your family can actually seek to spend time in. D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling wants to impress on Bloomington and Normal the full potential of their backyard as a space that makes it easy to make memories.

Use the Spare Room

The Spare Room

Whether your kid’s have recently vacated the premises and left you with an empty nest or you have a spare room with no official use, it doesn’t have to be a guest room! There are so many ways to use an extra space and D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling has a few ideas!

 

Craft Room

Devote your new, empty space to the love of all things crafted! Make the room serve your crafting habit. There are so many clever storage ideas and work space layouts that will make it a great place for creativity to flow!

Home Office

Have you been doing bills at the kitchen table? There’s a room for that. Turn a spare room into a home office that will give you a peaceful place to pay bills and organize your crazy, busy life!

Home Gym

If fitness is your game, the right spare room could accommodate a home gym. Having easy access to fitness equipment will give you no excuses when it comes to staying heart healthy!

 

Playroom

Playroom? Didn’t the kids just move out? Well, if grand-kids are on the way, you may want to create a space for all the toys that their mother ordained a “grandma’s house toy.” It’s not your fault they all make sounds and have lights! Make a place that all those toys can live for when the little one comes to spend time with grandma and grandpa. We have another article that highlights other ways to make space in your home for grandbaby!

Multi-Purpose

Think outside the box and make the room suit the many needs that your busy life has. If you still need that guest room space, but could use a small home office, combine the ideas to make your home suit all of your needs. The possibilities are endless!

A guest room is a perfectly practical use for a spare room, but D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling wants to make sure you consider all the options for the room. With an empty, purposeless space, there are so many possibilities. Give it a purpose that suits you and your home!

Guest Room Essentials

Essential Elements of a Guest Bedroom

When you find yourself with a spare room, an obvious solution is to create a space where guests, whether family or friends, can stay and feel at home. D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling thinks that a few essential elements can help any guest have a comfortable stay.

A Comfy Bed

The main activity guests will use the guest room for is sleeping! Depending on who comes to stay, you may find it reasonable to have a room with one large bed or with two twin-sized beds. Worried about décor and styling? There are so many ways to decorate and stage furniture that will make the room a relaxing haven.

A Relaxing Atmosphere

Speaking of relaxing, choosing the right paint color for the room and inviting décor will create a place that your guests will be happy to stay. D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling recommends subtle and soothing colors for the walls. The décor and accessories can add the color. You may have multiple uses for the space such as an office or hobby room, but create places for those things to go when guests come to visit.

A Feeling of Home

Your guests may be there for a short visit or a long stay. Either way, any host wants their guests to feel at home. Make sure the closet or dresser has space to accept the things they brought with them. A few personal touches like family pictures or keepsakes will make them feel like part of the family rather than like they are staying in the annex.

Access to Necessities

Put towels and spare toiletries in an obvious place. Put out a few magazines or books in case of night owls or early risers. Make sure there is a clock and a waste bin! These may seem like minor items, but they are major in making a guest feel at home! Snacks, tissues, and pen and paper are a few other minor items that could go a long way in making a guest feel relaxed.

D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling wants your guests to have the very best. These home tips will help you prepare for any guest to stay!

Teen Rooms

Bedrooms for Teens and College Kids

Once your kid hits a certain age, the toys and play spaces disappear and are replaced by furniture to last them through the next phase.  D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling believes with the right balance between smart buys and suiting your teen boy or girl, you can make a smooth transition from teen room to the half-moved-out  college years and beyond.

Furniture to Fit

We discussed this earlier in our article on kid’s rooms. When upgrading any furniture, consider what will endure in your home. One important thing to consider is that following college, when your child leaves to face the real world, the room may become a guest bedroom and you most likely will not want to purchase an entire set again. D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling recommends looking to the future and placing pieces that suit your teen, but will also suit a guest room that will welcome them and other guests back for visits.

Cool & Transitional Décor

The same rule goes for décor. During the teen years, they may want a fun and funky color to suit their individuality, but as they move to the college dorm, consider switching to a color that will match your future vision for the room.

A Place to Be

All teens need a hangout and this is where D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling thinks it’s all right to bend the rules of keeping transitions in mind. Give them a place, whether it’s in their room or in another area of the house, to hang out with friends or pursue their interests.

Homework Center

A truth in the life of any teen or college kid is homework. It may seem like a small thing, but having an area devoted to studying may help your teen focus on the subject at hand. When your college kid lugs their books home for the weekend, they’ll have a place to store them. Having a place to study is a minor thing that can add up to your kid’s success.

D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling always tries to keep the future in mind when designing any area of a home. In the case of your child’s bedroom, the teen and college years are a time of transition. It’s important to recognize the great kid that you have raised and look to the time when they will be the guests of honor in the place they will always call home.

Women's Domains

A Woman’s Domain

For the woman of the house, creating a room of one’s own can make space for the interests and hobbies that you pursue when not attending the million other things on that daily to-do list. D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling feels that to make a house truly home, hobbies and interests have to have a place. Maybe you fit in to one of the categories below!

Crafty Fox: Whether you sew, felt, paint, make jewelry, or work with any other number of materials, the important thing is to have space-and plenty of it! Finding a work space to accommodate the current craft project can make it a relaxing venture rather than a frustrating feat on top of other home projects.

Bookworm: Maybe your chosen pastime is to curl up with a good book! Create a reading nook or devote an entire room to shelve those dear friends that live between the pages.

Culinary Artist: Do you enjoy working some magic in the kitchen? Why not put effort into making that space the best it can be! D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling feels that having enough space and the right tools can enhance the experience and bring the fun back into your cooking and baking.

Fashion Forward: Have a place for every single pair of shoes. If fashion is your thing, make your closet a clothes haven! Closet organizers can work wonders on displaying those precious pieces that you treasure.

Garden Fairy: If you prefer the outdoors, create a sanctuary by remodeling a garden shed or adding a few features to the patio! If you like to spend your time in the sun, make the most of it!

Maybe you could think of a few other ways to create a space in your home for you to enjoy. Use your hobbies, interests, or passions as inspiration for making a place in your home for you!

Man Caves

The Man’s Caves

At D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling, we firmly believe that the home should reflect the people living in it. A man’s interests and hobbies can be inspiration for an extraordinary man cave. Take one interest or combine a few to make the perfect place for the man of the house to hang out. 

A Sports Fanatic: Have a home team? Love a team from across state lines? Create a space that reflects the color you bleed. Keep sports collections and memorabilia on display.

The Outdoor Sort: If hunting is your thing, create a space to store the gear and welcome you back when you’ve had a successful trip. For those into outdoor activities like cycling, rock climbing, hiking, or boating, create a space to keep your things in order and ready to go for your outdoor adventures!



Handyman: For those who work with their hands, the garage or a shed can be made into a workshop for those hours of creation.

Serious Scholar: If knowledge is what you seek, D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling recommends creating a sanctuary in the home office that can store volumes of books and accommodate the thirst for learning.

Billiards and Bar: Create an excellent space for entertaining the boys by putting the billiards and the bar in your home.

Movie Enthusiast: Create an entertainment center that will allow your enthusiasm to thrive!

Maybe you have an interest that’s outside the box! D.J.’s Painting and Remodeling encourages its customers to exploit their interests to create spaces in their homes that they will look forward to spending time in.

8 Purposes for Home Automation

8 Purposes for Home Automation

D.J.'s Painting and Remodeling has helped many customers make their home an automated one. While many may consider it a luxury, home automation serves very real and practical purposes. Here are just a few!

Security: Home automation will allow you to have a peace of mind when it comes to the security of your home. With features that allow you to be notified who is entering your home and when, you can safeguard your family against intruders. 

Safety: With a home automation system, you can program devices to remind you to take medication and let you know if your child's bedroom door opens at night. You can turn on lights before you open the front door and have remote access to unlock doors if an emergency arises and someone should need to enter while you are out.

Temperature Control: The climate in your home can be programmed to reflect the schedule your family follows. When returning from vacation, the thermostat will adjust to welcome you home.

Lights: We already mentioned that lights can be turned on before even entering the house, but they can also be controlled from the touch of a button from within. Have a lighted path on your way to the bathroom during the night or in the early morning hours before the sun is up.

Audio-Visual: Home automation allows you to listen to music from any room in the house and simply control the system from one device. With this, your tunes or talk radio can follow you as you complete the day's activities. An audio-visual system can become complex with devices, remotes to control them with, and the many systems and programming. Home automation can simplify all this onto one control device that makes it easy to access shows, movies, and programs. It can even dim the lights and close the curtains!

Convenience: Obviously, having control of your automated home from one device simplifies the many aspects and features of your home. It gives you peace of mind knowing things can be done quickly and efficiently from a mobile device or tablet when you need them done.

Information Access: A home automation system will also give you access to the web in your kitchen, living room, bedroom-anywhere! Look up recipes in the kitchen or access news articles from anywhere around your house. Pull up your address book and calendar anytime!

Insurance: One very practical purpose that home automation serves is quality control within your home. An automated system can notify you of water leaks or other issues in your home's systems.

Home automation can serve so many practical purposes within your home. It's worth calling to find out how it can help your home!