This living space shows how a Mid-Century modern can be updated but still have that same funky 60s flavor.

If you have a period home—such as a Spanish or a Craftsman, both prevalent in Southern California—it can be a challenge to remodel and retain the house’s character. At Style on a Shoestring, we’ve found it really takes a creative approach to establish the right balance between honoring the home’s original detail and upgrading it to current standards.

For example, I’ve been working recently on a 1960s Mid-Century modern ranch-style home. This is the new owners’ dream house, so we wanted to maintain the integrity of the design while bringing it into 2011. Fortunately these clients work in the arts, so they are willing to take imaginative design leaps with me.

One of the home’s centerpieces is an original atomic-look light fixture, somewhat common for that time but still a bold feature. So we kept that in the living room (we managed to keep all of the house’s original light fixtures!), and we also retained the vaulted wood ceilings. Launching from a green and white color palette—fresh and simple—we chose a low-pile green carpeting that is almost like felt. We also removed the original rock around the fireplace and used white modern tile instead. And I can’t overlook telling you about the fireplace hearth, which is magenta solid-surface quartz. It’s quite a statement!

All of those changes kept within the house’s style but brought it up to speed.

White glossy cabinets and globe lights give this kitchen a modern look without sacrificing utility.

Then we gutted the original kitchen because it just wasn’t functional any longer. To keep it modern, we installed IKEA cabinets in a high-gloss white finish with low-profile chrome hardware. We paired those with sleek white quartz countertops. To warm up the space, we used dark, large-plank cork flooring. For a pop of color, we added hand-fired turquoise and white tile in an elongated diamond shape—a classic 60s pattern with a modern take.

Are you starting to see how our strategy played out in this remodel? So while we kept the living room’s wood ceiling, we painted it white. We allowed the fireplace to continue its footprint around two walls but we improved the materials. And we kept the kitchen’s clean lines but we made it more practical for today’s cooks. The result of our “modernizing a modern” is a home that clearly reflects its original design but with current sensibilities. And it’s just a really fun space too!

If we can help you design your period home—or help with any decorating or remodel ideas—please contact us.

A patterned wallpaper you might not use in a larger room is perfect for a powder room.

The powder room — you know, that little half-bath your guests use? — is one of our favorite rooms to work with at Style on a Shoestring. That might surprise you, but those little bathrooms are really fun to redecorate or remodel simply because they are small. And since they are usually somewhat separate from the other areas of a house, powder rooms can even take on a little different look from the rest of your home.

We almost always use wallpaper in a powder room. If wallpaper makes you think of your mom’s shiny, wild walls in the ’70s and ’80s, you haven’t seen the updated looks in wallpapers (click here for a quick lesson). If wallpaper isn’t right for a client, we also like to use wainscoting on the bottom half of the wall and perhaps paint the top half a distinctive color.

A small chandelier in a powder room can be an unexpected yet elegant functional accessory. The mirror is another place where you can show some flair, such as a vintage look or perhaps something with a seashell theme if you have a coastal-style home. Tiling the entire wall behind the mirror also adds some color and texture.

Sinks and fixtures come in all sizes and shapes, of course, and the powder room is a good place to experiment with them. A vessel sink with a contemporary faucet flowing from the wall can look creative, or a furniture-like vanity can be the room’s centerpiece.

Colorful tiles add texture and interest to a powder room wall.

Accessories can be as basic or outlandish as you like. But since the powder bath typically has limited surface space, remember to leave a spot for your guests to place their purses or jackets when they use it. An artistic towel stand, eye-catching tissue box or imaginative soap pump might be just the item to give the room punch.

The best way to approach a powder bath redesign is to bring in a color or style from a nearby room and expand on it. For example, my living room has a small amount of teal and orange in it, so I can pull from that palette for my powder room and go a little wild with bright colors I might not use in such excess elsewhere in the house.

One of the best things about working with a powder bath is because the room is small, you don’t have to worry about going way over budget. Wallpapering a dining room or living room might run $1500, for example, while wallpapering a powder bath would be less than half that. A full chandelier could cost hundreds of dollars but a small chandelier is much more affordable.

Incorporate bright accent colors from nearby rooms in the design.

Almost everyone who visits your home also visits your powder bath at some point. So don’t be afraid to take a few chances and spread your designing wings a bit, but also make it friendly and hospitable.

If we can help redesign or remodel your powder bath, please contact us at Style on a Shoestring.

In a small room, a large mirror gives the illusion of space and an ottoman does double duty as a coffee table.

Many of us in San Diego don’t have large homes, and even in a huge home you might have some small spaces that puzzle you. How can you make that diminutive room feel larger—even though it isn’t?

The biggest trick in my interior designer bag for this is going vertical. Even though it might seem counterintuitive to fill up a small space, that is exactly what will make it seem bigger. If you’ve ever seen a small apartment in New York City, you know those residents are experts at using every iota of space to their advantage. For example, install shelving that goes from the floor to the ceiling, or build in storage solutions that make the eye move up.

Again, most people are inclined to use small-scale furniture in a petite space. But what will make the room expand is a few big items that carry the room and trick the eye that the room is living larger than it really is. So a higher-backed sofa that requires a larger footprint might work better than a few smaller chairs.

When it comes to color, cool tones will make the small space feel larger. Stick to blues, greens and light neutrals, which actually push out the wall visually. Dark colors will make the room seem as if it is closing in on itself.

Accessories can also play along with the little-gets-large theme. Mirrors, of course, always add dimension. In fact, anything reflective—a glass coffee table, or a chrome lamp—will work much like a mirror, bouncing light across the room and increasing the space.

A clever way to hang window treatments in a small room is to start about 6 inches below the crown molding and take the drapes all the way to the floor. This gives an allusion of height and makes the room feel grand. Cornice boxes provide the same effect when they are installed just below the ceiling.

An upholstered chair can serve as desk seating, living room seating and as a dining chair

Finally, if your small space is all the space you have—as in those New York mini apartments—get creative with how your furniture functions. A buffet might work as a media console, but its drawers could hold blankets, games, extra china or whatever you need to stash away since no one can see inside. An ottoman can double as storage and a table, and a beautifully upholstered desk chair can be flipped around to become a dining chair or extra living room seating.

Need help figuring out what to do with your small space? We are always ready with our design ideas at Style on a Shoestring—please contact us for a consultation.

This bathroom went from neutral to knock-out with a few simple accessories.

Doing a complete gut-renovation of a bathroom is wonderful but I realize that’s not in everyone’s budget. Fortunately there are some ways to update your bath without completely starting over. In fact, you might be surprised at how much of a different look you can achieve through a few relatively easy changes.

An obvious first step is to swap out dated faucets for sleek chrome or brushed nickel fixtures. If you have a standard sink or vanity and tub/shower, this is a fairly simple switch you can do on your own. Home improvement stores have a wide range of fixtures to choose from at all price levels.

While you’re at it, you might as well complement those new faucets with matching hardware. New towel rings or racks and a new toilet paper holder add some flash and make the bathroom feel new.

A contemporary framed mirror is another way to give the room a facelift. Again, these are readily available at home stores and are not difficult to install.

A chandelier in the bathroom gives a glamorous touch.

If you’re up for a little more challenge, consider replacing the light fixture with something modern and fresh. And of course, painting a room always gives it a clean, invigorated feel. Choose cooler colors in slate blue, gray and muted purple tones to create your own calming getaway.

Perhaps the most effortless way to “renovate” your bathroom is through new accessories and artwork. If you can’t afford to retile an unsightly shower, for example, conceal it with a striking shower curtain. West Elm is a terrific resource for coordinating bath accessories along with distinctive bath-friendly art. I’m also a big fan of Bed, Bath and Beyond because the selection there makes it easy to mix and match traditional with contemporary bathroom looks. Since most bathrooms are small compared to other rooms in a home, just modifying a couple of items can make a big difference in how the room reflects your personal taste.

Please contact us at Style on a Shoestring if we can help with remodeling your bathroom or any of your home design needs.

A bright striped wallpaper from Harlequin's Anoushka line provides a fun, flirty background to this retro-modern living room.

When I mention wallpaper do you get visions of loud, ugly walls from the ’70s and ’80s?

You’re not alone.

But it’s time to set aside those memories because wallpaper is back—except this time it is truly beautiful and even environmentally friendly.

We’ve been having a lot of success lately with wallpaper at Style on a Shoestring. For example, a powder room or another small space that is papered looks absolutely amazing and even glamorous. In a larger space, wallpaper on an accent wall really makes the room special.

When we wallpaper, we turn to specialist Mary Ann Godfrey at Godfrey Wallpapering. I was recently talking with her about how exciting wallpaper has suddenly become. This is what she said:

“Wallpaper now isn’t like the wallpaper from years ago with wild prints and oranges and browns. Today, one of the best updated looks has texture, such as bamboo and heavier string—that is really popular in beach communities especially. It makes a huge difference in a room.”

Raffia wallpaper gives an airy bedroom visual interest.

She also talked about how changes in wallpaper installation:

“People think wallpaper is too difficult and that it’s going to be a big hassle but the way wallpaper is manufactured now, it’s easy to hang and easy to remove. If you want to change your mind after you’ve had a certain look for a while, you can remove and replace it.”

One of our favorite wallpaper brands at Style is the Harlequin line. They use a printing process at Harlequin with “ethically sourced raw materials on paper from sustainable European forests,” according to their website. So not only are their designs pretty, they’re green (and yellow and coral!) too.

Interested in adding some wallpaper to your home? Please contact us at Style on a Shoestring for a wallpaper consultation or for any of your design needs.

We reupholstered this ottoman and added colorful throw pillows to give more punch to this great room.

One of the things customers have told us sets Style on a Shoestring apart from other design firms is we live out our name—we really do try to save you money. That doesn’t mean we resort to cheap, inferior products. Instead, we are experts at combining high-quality items with less expensive accents we find at area department stores and specialty stores. That allows clients to complement their timeless pieces with changing trends in colors and styles.

A home’s established or heirloom furniture tends to be larger, costlier articles such as the dining room table and hutch, side tables and even sofas depending on how much use they get. I usually advise against choosing high-use sofas and chairs with the idea that you will reupholster in a few years. Typically, reupholstering is as much or even more than buying new upholstered furniture. So it’s best to plan on replacing your heavily used upholstered furniture every eight to ten years, as opposed to a sofa in a formal sitting room, for example, which might last for many years. In either case, choose a neutral color and pattern for your longer-term items to allow for design accents elsewhere.

That said, it can be fun and cost-effective to reupholster one piece—such as an ottoman (see photo above)—to add that pop of trendy color. Another way to do this is swapping out throw pillows or lampshades, or repotting houseplants.

Combining bright color with a French influence is a 2011 trend.

This year, color is big! Think about adding pops of hot pink, lime green and purple to your rooms. Other popular trends are French-influenced pieces, distressed woods and mixing industrial design with other styles. All of this makes for a terrific combination because sticking just to an industrial style or to distressed woods, for instance, can feel bland, but when you add that bit of color it gives the whole room a fresh look.

You can pick up these less pricey pieces at places such as Restoration Hardware, Cost Plus World Market and Pottery Barn. We also have an extraordinary alternative we are almost ready to reveal to you where you will be able to get amazing, distinctive furniture and accessories. Watch this space for our announcement soon!

Please contact us at Style on a Shoestring if we can help with decorating your home or any of your design needs.

Many of us in San Diego have pools that take up a good portion of the backyard or patio area. So after the day’s pool fun is over, use your pool area as a focal point for evening relaxation or parties.

Flowers and layered stones repurpose your pool as part of your outdoor decor.

If you’ve ever been to Vegas or an upscale hotel with a pool, you’ve seen the day beds you can rent for lounging. Outdoor day beds are expensive but you can make your own lookalike by buying two chaise lounges that lay completely flat. Put them together (you could connect them underneath with wire or rope) and either use the existing cushions or buy a large cushion that covers both chaises. Voila – you have your own daybed!

Another way to use your chaises is to set some the regular way – separated with the backs up – and then place others flat in an L-shape. This creates optional seating for those who might not want to commit to stretching out on a full chaise.

Since you will be seated around the pool, use your furniture to form conversational areas rather than lining up around the pool. Pick up a few inexpensive tables—some for those who stand and some for those who sit—and place them randomly around the area. Be sure to include a few seats and tables near the barbecue grill or outdoor bar, where people tend to congregate.

This lighted waterfall adds colorful ambience to an evening party around the pool.

Rather than ignoring the pool, use it as party décor. Buy a portable pool fountain at a discount store as a focal point. Or float flowers in the pool. The best flowers for this are those with a wider base, such as gardenias, gerbera daisies or orchids. Snip the stem, leaving about a one-inch length below the bud. Silk flowers are just as pretty and less likely to absorb water and sink away. Intersperse these with floating pool candles (don’t use regular candles – a quick online search will offer you numerous choices for buying these specialty candles).

Even if your gathering is not a designated pool party, be prepared for the rogue who jumps in (or gets pushed in) anyway. A wicker basket filled with soft, colorful beach towels will add splash of color to your pool deck and be a welcome comfort to those who get wet.

Please contact us at Style on a Shoestring if we can help with any of your home design needs.

In San Diego our patios are extensions of our indoor living spaces. When the temperature is right – and it mostly is – we can throw open the doors and often double our room to host family and friends. But a plain slab of cement isn’t particularly inviting, is it? Here are a few tips for making your home’s exterior as your beautiful as its interior:

• First, consider the flow. If your patio extends from your family room, for example, carry through that room’s colors to the outdoor space. This will provide continuity and really enhance that feeling of a larger room rather than two separate areas.

• Add color. All-weather rugs are an inexpensive way to give warmth and continuity to your patio entertainment area.

Durable outdoor furniture creates a second living room for your home.

• Anchor the patio with outdoor furniture. If space allows, create a dining area with an all-weather table and chairs so you can enjoy meals al fresco. Then arrange a conversational area with a sofa, chairs and a coffee table.

• If your patio is more hardscape than landscape, soften it with potted plants. Miniature citrus trees are cute and they smell great. Herbs also provide a nice aroma and are handy for cooking too.

• Summer evenings are perfect for sitting outside. Shine some light on your patio by stringing paper lanterns (available at discount and party stores) from your house to a nearby tree or fence post. If you have a patio cover, attach a candle chandelier to the center for flickering ambience. A fire pit – installed or portable – makes for a fun gathering spot as the cool winds take over the night.

Colorful plants soften your patio's hardscape – and they attract whimsical hummingbirds. (photo by Simon Howden)

• Even though most outdoor cushion manufacturers say the fabric is durable for all kinds of weather, your best bet is to cover them when not in use, especially if they will endure hot sun. Take them inside during the off-season to avoid rain and mold.

• One of my favorite shops for patio design is Chicweed on Cedros Avenue in Solana Beach, where you’ll find all kinds of furniture, rugs, plants and outdoor décor.

Please contact us at Style on a Shoestring if we can help with any of your home design needs.

Summer doesn’t have to happen just outside – give your home a breezy, colorful look that matches your sun-drenched exterior.

Light and bright bedding gives a bedroom some summer sunshine. (Photo by Michelle Meiklejohn)

Start by tucking away everything heavy or dark. Even in San Diego we tend to stockpile throws and bedding in heavier weights for our cool winter nights. Wash and store those, then bring out or buy lighter bedding – sometimes simply changing your duvet cover does the trick.

In your living room and family room, swap out darker colors for lighter, brighter shades. A few throw pillows and candles in summer colors can create fresh accents for celebrating the season.

Flowers and plants can come indoors too. Stop by your favorite garden center or home improvement store and pick up some affordable blooming plants to sprinkle around your house. They will only last a few months, but with summer sun coming through your windows and a little green thumb from you, they will provide a delightful splash of color.

If you don’t have a retractable screen door, you are really missing out. I have one, and as soon as the weather starts changing, my front and back doors are open and the breeze is passing through. I rarely need to run my air conditioning because I get such a nice airflow through my house. Contact Debbie Mason at Mirage Retractable Screen Systems to have yours installed: (760) 419-4641.

Retractable screens provide air flow on warm days.

With so much going on outside – beautiful garden, kids playing, family enjoying the pool – you’ll want clean windows so you can keep an eye on everything. Lovely Windows by the Lads – I know, it’s a funny name – is a wonderful company for window washing. Contact Lisa O’Bara at (858) 212-5050.

Please contact us at Style on a Shoestring if we can help with any of your home design needs.

You’ve probably heard a lot about man caves lately. It seems like every TV show about home searches or remodels includes a man cave – a place where the family patriarch can “get away” from his wife and kids.

It’s certainly possible to do a completely tricked-out man cave as we did recently for a client (see below). But you can make Dad happy on Father’s Day by creating a simple man cave for him – just spruce up your garage, den or other unused space with a few easy-to-find items.

• Start with an old sofa. (This is your chance to replace that worn-out sectional by donating it to your hubby’s man cave!) Add some comfy overstuffed pillows.

• Install a big TV and stereo system. Check eBay and Father’s Day sales for electronics that fit your budget.

• If your man cave will be in the garage, you might already have a second refrigerator there. If not, pick up an inexpensive dorm-size fridge and stock it with your guy’s favorite drinks and snacks.

• Decorating a man cave can be cheap and easy – use Dad’s favorite hobbies or sports teams. This is also a great place to display any sports memorabilia he might have. Think banners, pennants, equipment (bats, hockey sticks, ski poles), team player posters, signed items and trophies.

• If the man cave’s floor is a little too rustic, try attaching garage floor tiles in a checkerboard pattern or in his favorite team colors, such as Chargers’ blue and gold.

• A man cave doesn’t have to be a place where Dad is cut off from family. Include framed pictures of him doing activities with the kids, such as fishing, camping or playing sports. Although he will appreciate his new man cave, he’ll probably cherish those photographs the most.

Please contact us at Style on a Shoestring if we can help with any of your home design needs.