Kristina Wolf's House of Design

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Clever Small Bathroom Storage Ideas

Whether it is a “powder room” off your front hallway, a half bath near the family room, or the sole bathroom in your efficiency apartment, a small bathroom is likely high on use and low on space. Making the most of this tiny space becomes even more complicated when you consider the space taken up by the toilet and vanity, the door, and perhaps a window as well.

Storage may seem like an impossibility, but you can find great solutions for even the smallest bathrooms. Here are some clever small bathroom storage ideas to get you started.

Go High to Use the Wall Space

Small bathrooms are often tight spaces, making it challenging to add floor-based storage. However, there is still much space that can be used. Using the height of your small bathroom offers plenty of storage options to free up floor space and add an extra touch of style and substance to the room.

Over the Sink

The area directly over the sink is a great place to add storage space and create a focal point. Over-sink shelving may be free-standing or mounted to the wall and made of metal, wood, glass, or a mixture of those materials. These shelves are ideal for keeping small canisters, tissue boxes, or even toothbrush holders up off the vanity, freeing the surface area up.

Over the Toilet

Using space over an installed piece in the bathroom includes the toilet. The area above the toilet can be filled with shelves or cabinets, providing plenty of storage for towels, toiletries, or room accessories such as art or plants. Over-the-toilet shelving may be stand-alone or mounted to the wall.

Stand-alone toilet shelving is made from various materials, including glass and metal, wicker or rattan, or wood. You can choose to shelve with clean lines and angles that blend into the room or make the shelving a focal point with bold accents and hardware.

Open shelving offers an excellent opportunity to add color and accents to the bathroom without cluttering the vanity surface. A popular way to store with this type of shelving is to add wicker or fabric bins for storing various items while keeping the look clean and straightforward.

Over-the-toilet shelving may also be mounted directly to the wall, allowing more opportunity to create storage space while adding to the design of the small room.

Over the Door or Window

Another spot with storage possibilities is over the bathroom door or the window. These spaces may not be ideal for items you frequently use but are still worth looking at for greenery, decorative architectural elements, or rolled towels that can be easily and safely pulled down.

Get Low for Hidden Storage

Some of the lower areas in the bathroom offer great opportunities for storage with the added advantage of keeping things out of sight.

Custom-cut shelving can be added under an open vanity, fitting around pipes snugly and adding plenty of space for cosmetics, soaps, cleaning solutions, or anything else you want to keep handy but stored. A fabric skirting can hide the area, adding color and design to the space while keeping everything easily accessible.

Built-in storage may also be an option, especially if you are renovating your small bathroom. Built-in cabinetry, including the vanity itself, can be designed and outfitted for efficient storage. Specialized drawers and cupboards to store hampers, toilet brushes, or anything else larger could be added at this stage.

Decorative Shelving

If your small bathroom has the room for it, you can still free up space and add architectural elements, texture, and color to your small bathroom with decorative shelving units. Decorative shelving units add interest and design to a room of any size, and in a small bathroom, they are also just the thing to increase storage while taking up limited space.

Slanted shelves are a great way to use wall space for storage. With the gradual decrease in size from bottom to top, slanted shelves bring the eye upwards, creating height in the room, making it feel bigger and airier. They are an excellent place for rolled towels, decorative pieces, and greenery.

Wire shelves are another option, creating a sturdier spot for heavy items. As a design element, they blend nicely into most bathroom designs and, with protective coatings on them, are durable enough to endure the bathroom’s humidity without deteriorating.

Learn More About Small Bathroom Storage Ideas and Designs

Working with your limited bathroom space to include the space for storage you need may seem like a difficult task, but there are many ways to add storage to a small bathroom without cramping it. Look at every part of your small bathroom, high and low, to take advantage of empty spaces and make them work for you.

For more small bathroom storage ideas and tips, as well as design tips for your entire home, check out Kristina Wolf’s House of Design and sign up for my newsletter to get the latest ideas delivered right to your inbox.

The Key Elements of Easy Modern Farmhouse Décor

The charm and warmth of country décor have never been more popular. Blending vintage pieces with modern, and giving them a twist of farmhouse charm, is the key to putting this décor style to work for you.

Farmhouse décor can vary from region to region, but some key elements link them together. Let’s look at some of the most decorative and distinctive characteristics, the key elements of easy modern farmhouse décor.

Farmhouse Finishes

When you’re talking about farmhouse finishes, slick surfaces and clean lines will not spring to mind. Farmhouses are old, weathered, and lived-in, and the finishes of furniture and architectural elements going into farmhouse décor reflect that.

Farmhouse furniture pieces are designed to be used, and to last, so they are often large and bulky with durable surfaces. Wood is the choice for most farmhouse décor, with various finishes designed to create an aged and weathered effect.

Painted/Antiqued Finishes

White is one of the most common finishes in farmhouse décor and country furnishings, and that applies to paint finishes as well. Whether the paint is laid on solidly, used as an accent, or applied sparingly for an “antiqued” effect, the white color quickly adds a homey, vintage look to a room.

Another popular paint color is blue, especially a cornflower or sky blue. The natural shade lends itself well to country and farmhouse décor and is often seen in kitchen pieces, including table and chairs, sideboards, china cabinets, and cupboards.

Natural and Distressed Wood

Wood is a staple of farmhouse furnishings and architectural elements, whether it has a natural, rustic finish or is distressed to look older and more worn and weathered. Natural wood lends warmth to any room and is ideal for kitchen, family areas, and bedrooms embracing farmhouse décor.

Vintage Pieces

Farmhouse décor is all about looking old, lived-in, and functional, and vintage accents help bring the room together. Vintage signs and branding, including feed store signs, old tin and aluminum advertising signs, and flour and grain bags, are easy, inexpensive ways to add a vintage farmhouse and country feel to any room.

Aluminum and tin work tools and cooking utensils make beautiful accents, and some can even be useful. For example, an enameled coffee pot or teapot, milk pails, oil cans, and washboards can be repurposed in a room or used as is to give whimsy and warmth to a room.

Punched tin and aluminum designs are very popular as inserts in cabinetry. You can easily remove the wood or glass insert and add nail-punched designs. Steaming pies, roosters, tractors, and sun motifs are popular nail-punched designs for farmhouse décor.

Chicken Wire

Nothing says farmhouse living like chicken wire. This versatile metal fencing can be integrated into your farmhouse décor in a variety of ways.

One of the most common ways to add chicken wire to your farmhouse décor is by using it for front cabinetry. Removing the wood or glass inserts on a china cabinet or cupboard and replacing them with chicken wire instantly adds that rustic, farmhouse touch. Plus, the hexagonal design and metal feel of chicken wire are a great way to add texture to a room.

Quilt Patterns

Quilting has been intimately connected to farmhouse living since the days of pioneers and before. The many patterns and designs of old quilts inspire farmhouse décor, so it’s not surprising that adding these designs and pieces to your space help complete the look.

Well-known quilt patterns, such as the log cabin or flying geese, add color, texture, and geometric design to any space. Painted on a tabletop or added as a border along a chair rail or near the ceiling can bring a room’s color palette together.

Fabric quilts, vintage and modern, can be hung on walls as art, added to beds as a room focal point, or thrown over a sofa to add farmhouse charm to a living room. Incorporating gingham and calico fabrics increase the farmhouse and pioneer feel, and the addition of grosgrain ribbon edging or accents even more so.

Learn More About Easy Modern Farmhouse Décor

It’s easy to bring the vintage, rustic elements of farmhouse décor into your home. Textures, fabrics, and accents bring the feel of farmhouse living to a room instantly. With a bit of creativity and the addition of some of the key elements we talked about above, you can have easy, modern farmhouse décor in no time.

Kristina Wolf’s House of Design offers tips, ideas, and advice for creating your ideal interior design in your home. With 25 years of experience in the field, Kristina Wolf has the expertise and DIY know-how and is bringing it to you on her website and blog.

If you’re looking for more information about easy modern farmhouse décor, or have an idea for one of her future blogs, contact Kristina. And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter, filled with tips and information.

Expert Interior Design Secrets to Styling Shelves

Styling shelves is a great way to give your unique items the attention they deserve. Framed photos, books, and decorative pieces that you might otherwise keep stored away find a place at the forefront of the room, where they catch the eye.

secrets to styling shelves

Decorating marries style with substance. You can take something that seems purely practical and make it a stylish part of your room’s design. Shelving makes it easy to create a striking atmosphere in a room.

However, shoving everything you own onto some shelves doesn’t always work. You have think about what you want to see when you look at your shelves—and the answer isn’t a wall full of junk. Follow these simple rules to create stunning shelves.

Clear Everything Out

Shelving units are the perfect way to show off your favorite items, but you still have limited space. Choose carefully what you want on display. That doesn’t mean you need to throw everything else out, but tidying the space goes a long way.

After spending so much time curating your shelving, you don’t want to ruin the effect with unnecessary clutter.

Start with Empty Space

Before you start filling your shelves, look ahead and imagine how it might look when you’ve finished.

There will almost always be some empty space exposing the back of the shelves. Consider painting this space or filling it with a fabric or wallpaper. These finishing touches can add new layers of depth and contrast to the shelving unit.  

Choosing Books

Start with the books when you’re styling shelves. If you’re a collector, try grouping them by color. If you have a limited book selection, add bits of color throughout the shelf. Using colors sparingly will make the books you have stand out.

You can stack the books or line them up on the shelf, but never have less than three together or they’ll look sparse. At the other end of the spectrum, avoid putting more than twelve or fifteen books together, or you risk making your shelves look too crowded.

Don’t be ashamed of buying a book for looks alone. Sometimes beautiful book covers can really make your shelving unit pop, and that’s what you want.

Add Sculptures and Vignettes

Sculptures and vignettes can add a lot of character to shelving units, but only if you use them correctly. While pairing smaller sculptures with books will draw the eye, larger sculptures should stand on their own. Putting large pieces in with books or other items can make the space look cramped.

It’s easy to fine unique bits and pieces to add to your shelves. They add personality to your shelves and function as conversation pieces when you have guests.

Balance is key when you’re choosing what to put on a new shelving unit. It’s tempting to fill them with everything you own, but attractive shelves take some thought. Make sure that everything on them has a purpose. By styling shelves with carefully selected items, your room can become its own piece of art.

Choosing the Right Appliances for Your Kitchen

Kitchen appliances can make or break a kitchen remodel. There are so many styles, features, and technology options available it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Then, there are always budgetary concerns—picking the right appliances would be easy if money were no object. Even so, it is possible to design the perfect kitchen with a little forethought and your priorities firm in mind.

choosing the right appliances for your kitchen

Here are some things to consider when choosing kitchen appliances to ensure you fall in love with the heart of your home.

Ovens & Cooktops

A high-performing, quality oven is crucial. Because ovens can have many features, it is best to focus on those you’ll actually use and the food you want to cook. A good oven will have a fan to cook food faster and more evenly. You’ll also want an oven with bake, roast, and broil features for all your baking needs.

Picking a suitable cooktop is important for both the practical purposes of remodeling your kitchen as well as aesthetic purposes. Just like your oven, you need a cooktop that gets the job done, but it certainly doesn’t hurt if it looks good, too. Try to pick a cooktop that takes up appropriate space and fits your overall color scheme.

Most cooktops have four burners, which is pretty standard for home cooking. However, if you like to entertain guests and large crowds, you may want to pick a cooktop with more burners. Then, you have to consider how easy it is to maintain. Whether you’re a clean-as-you-cook or cook-at-the-end type, you’ll most likely want clean-up to be easy.

Refrigerators

There are three fridge installation types:

  • Built-in
  • Freestanding
  • Fully integrated

These three options all come in a range of sizes and styles to suit your needs. You will also want to consider performance and configuration. Performance-wise, you need to choose between a single-compressor or a double-compressor unit. A single-compressor unit works twice as hard to maintain both the fridge and freezer. While double-compressor refrigerators cost more, they allow you to keep food fresher for longer.

One of the most popular refrigerator configurations is the French-door style with a side-by-side fridge and freezer. Make sure you don’t go too small when you’re choosing kitchen appliances. When you buy your fridge, you want to have enough room for your typical food storage. For two people, consider a fridge size of 12 cubic feet.

Sinks & Dishwashers

Your sink tends to be the focal point of your kitchen. Some popular sink configurations include:

  • Single, rectangular basin
  • 50/50 double-bowl
  • 60/40 double-bowl
  • Three-bowl

Once you know your ideal configuration, the next step is to compare materials. The material you choose affects whether your sink is resistant to scratches and stains, how you’ll clean the sink, and your kitchen’s overall look.

As for your dishwasher, you want to choose something that is efficient and fits into your kitchen seamlessly. If you use a dishwasher often, choose one that has deep-cleaning features and a variety of options. Running volume is one of the most important factors. Find a dishwasher with a low decibel rating so it won’t keep you and your family up all night.

General Tips for Choosing Kitchen Appliances

No matter what appliance you’re shopping for, there are a few general tried-and-tested tips that can help:

  • Don’t be afraid to mix-and-match. You don’t have to buy all your appliances from the same collection or brand.
  • Tailor your budget allocation to your lifestyle. It doesn’t make sense to spend a big chunk of your budget on a double oven, for example, if you rarely bake. Forget what a traditional kitchen “should” have and get what you’ll use.
  • Time your remodel. Many appliance retailers hold annual sales around the same time every year, such as Memorial Day or Black Friday. Time your remodel to line up with these sales to save more. Buying your appliances as a package from a single retailer also often comes with a discount. 
  • Know your space. As appliances of all types come in standard sizes, measure your space, and note any size restrictions. It can help to draft your kitchen on graph paper. Also, note any ventilation or power requirements and where they are in your kitchen.
  • Stay neutral. That bright blue retro fridge may look amazing right now, but will you still love it in 10 years? With big-ticket items like appliances keep to neutral colors—silver, black, or white—so that if you choose to redecorate in the future, you’re not choosing kitchen appliances all over again. Paint colors and cabinet handles are much easier to change!

Your Interior Design Budget: Planning for Expenses

If you’re planning a new project, it’s easy to get caught up in mood boards and Pinterest ideas and forget one crucial detail—the cost. Creating an interior design budget might not be the most exciting step in making your house a home, but it is one of the most important. 

Interior Design

Even a few extra dollars here and there can add up to an unexpectedly costly project. How do you set an interior design budget, then?

Step One: Establish Your Interior Design Budget

Determine what your actual budget is and be specific. Avoid rough ranges like “a few hundred dollars,” and opt for a hard figure to set as the maximum budget for your project instead. You can spend less than this amount but not more.

Your interior design budget also needs to be realistic—be brutally honest with yourself and set a figure you can afford comfortably. Keep in mind that you don’t have to design your home’s entire interior in one go. You can take it room by room to make the best of your budget. Start with the areas you use the most or that bother you the most. 

Step Two: Budget Your Goals

Once you know exactly how much you have for your project, make a list of your goals. Ideally, you should have two lists: “needs” and “wants.”

The need list should include things the space has to have. For example, if you are remodeling your kitchen and your sink needs replaced, that’s a need. Come up with estimates for your list of must-haves to create mini-budgets, and don’t forget labor costs! It can help to price-check actual items at this stage to avoid sticker shock. Many people underestimate how much simple household items cost.

After your needs list is complete, take your estimate for those improvements, add another 10 to 15% as a cushion, and subtract those costs from your total budget. Whatever is left is for your “want” list.

Step 3: Make a Plan and Stick to It

Armed with a firm budget and a list of what you want to achieve, the next step is to plan your project. Set a timeline for each improvement on your list and what you’ll need at each stage.

It’s also helpful to draft your design at this point. That way, you can visualize what needs to be done and when throughout the process. For instance, you don’t want to bring in new furniture before you paint.

If you’re undertaking a major overhaul and haven’t done much interior design in the past, it can pay to work with a design professional. An interior designer can offer insight and ideas that are incredibly helpful when it comes to taking your ideas from dream to reality. Plus, they often have insider knowledge to reduce your budget without impacting the quality of your results—you might even be able to score more items off your wants list!