Kristina Wolf's House of Design

Interior Design, Accessorizing, and DIY Tips

Interior Design

Foster Wellness with the Ideal Design for an Acupuncture Clinic

Designing an acupuncture clinic requires careful planning to create a functional and visually appealing space. Here we will outline some key considerations for developing an acupuncture clinic that fosters a sense of peace and relaxation.

acupuncture clinic design

Layout

First and foremost, it’s essential to consider the clinic’s layout. An open, uncluttered design with plenty of natural light and a clear traffic flow will help create a peaceful atmosphere. When selecting colors for the space, opt for soft, neutral tones that promote calm and tranquility. Bold, bright colors can be distracting and disruptive to the healing process.

Natural Elements

Incorporating natural elements, such as plants, wood, and stone, can also help create a sense of connection to the natural world and promote relaxation. These elements can be incorporated into the design by using raw materials, such as wood furniture or stone accents, or by including live plants in the space.

Comfort

Comfort is vital in an acupuncture clinic, as patients sit or lie down for extended periods. Choose supportive and comfortable furniture, such as padded chairs or benches and adjustable tables.

The reception area is the first impression that patients will have of the clinic, so it’s essential to create a welcoming and comfortable space. This might include a comfortable seating area, a warm and inviting color palette, and artwork or décor that reflects the clinic’s philosophy and approach to care.

Storage

Finally, remember storage and organization. An acupuncture clinic will need ample storage space for supplies, linens, and other items. Choose functional storage solutions that are both aesthetically pleasing and practical.

Image courtesy of Mitchell Family Acupuncture in Berkeley, CA

By following these design principles, you can create a functional, comfortable, and welcoming acupuncture clinic for patients. In addition, with a thoughtful and strategic approach, you can create a space that promotes relaxation and fosters healing.

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.

Keeping Tropical Houseplants: 5 Top Tips

Are you interested in keeping tropical houseplants? These visually eye-catching plants provide bright pops of color if you decide to grow them in your home.

Tropical plants are easy to grow inside if you handle them properly. We’ll go over the top tips for successfully keeping tropical houseplants to boost your confidence in your green thumb.

Tip #1: Pick the Right Tropical Houseplant

As we mentioned, many tropical houseplants grow very well inside homes. However, not all tropical plants have the same needs. Read over the needs of a tropical plant before selecting one to grow in your home. Consider:

  • How much sun the plant needs
  • How much water the plant needs
  • Whether or not the plant is hazardous to animals

Some tropical plants are dangerous if consumed by cats or dogs. Additionally, some plants, like the dumb cane, contain a caustic sap that damages skin upon contact. Read up on every plant before making a purchase, so there are no unpleasant surprises.

Some examples of tropical plants that garden centers commonly sell include:

  • Amazon’s elephant ear
  • Anthurium
  • Bird of paradise
  • Ficus
  • Peace lily
  • Orchid

All of these plants have unique needs to consider before you make a purchase. Knowing what you’re getting will increase your odds of keeping a tropical houseplant alive.

Tip #2: Re-Pot Your Tropical Houseplant Immediately

Make sure that you re-pot your tropical houseplant after you bring it home from the nursery or store. Re-potting your plant comes with several benefits:

  • Allows you to check the health of your plant
  • Frees root-bound plants
  • Encourages the plant to absorb more nutrients
  • Gives the plant a chance to grow faster

It’s crucial to re-pot plants if their roots seem moldy, smelly, mushy, or dry. Make sure you re-pot your plant in a proper container. Select pots with drainage holes, as these reduce the chances of root rot or mold.

Re-pot using the correct soil type for your plant. Finally, make sure that you select a pot that is larger than the plant’s previous pot. This gives your new tropical houseplant the best chances to grow and thrive.

Tip #3: Care for Your Tropical Houseplant Consistently

Keeping a tropical houseplant requires you to provide consistent care to the plant. Plants grow better when they regularly receive the same style of care and steady amount of light.

However, plants do not all require the same kind of care. Some plants, like birds of paradise, require watering every day so that their soil always stays damp. Other plants, like the ficus, must allow the soil to dry before you water again.

Make sure you consider the needs of your plants and set up a schedule to ensure they get the water they need. Most tropical houseplants also require fertilizer of some kind. Apply this fertilizer regularly as recommended for the unique plant.

Tip #4: Consider the Humidity

Tropical houseplants are from, well, the tropics, a very humid and warm area. Many tropical houseplants adjust to the lower humidity of a house with little issue. However, exceptions occur.

Brown or yellow leaves can indicate insufficient humidity levels for your houseplant. Increase humidity while keeping tropical plants by:

  • Running a humidifier near your plants
  • Misting your plants regularly
  • Covering your plants with a cloche
  • Setting up a mini indoor greenhouse

Take these steps to boost humidity when caring for tropical houseplants. However, keep in mind that not all tropical houseplants require additional humidity.

Tip #5: Give Tropical Houseplants Enough Light

Tropical plants often grow well inside because many of them do not require high levels of light. Tropical plants grow naturally under a canopy in many cases, reducing their need for direct light. Plants like Amazon’s elephant leaf and the peace lily, for example, prefer indirect or dim light.

Putting a plant that wants very little light into a bright window can harm or even kill the plant.

However, do not automatically assume all tropical houseplants prefer indirect light. Bird of paradise plants require bright light and even a bit of direct sun to thrive. If your plants that look “leggy” and loses its color, it might want more sun.

Consider the unique needs of each plant you purchase and do your best to meet these needs. Read up on each plant you purchase to give yourself every advantage when keeping tropical houseplants.

 Decorate Your Home by Keeping Tropical Houseplants

Interested in keeping tropical houseplants? Follow the above tips to increase your odds of having a thriving green thumb. Reach out to our team at Kristina Wolf’s House of Design through the contact form on our website for more tips about using tropical plants for accessorizing and interior design in your home.

Explore Unique Man Cave Ideas

Looking for sophisticated, personalized man cave ideas? When it comes to designing a man cave (or a personalized space for you to relax and de-stress), the only limit is your imagination. Your man cave gives you the chance to indulge in your interests, so make sure you personalize it to showcase what you love.

Man caves offer a space to unwind and healthily release the stress of day-to-day life. Check out these ideas for man caves as you get ready to create the perfect man cave for your needs.

Show Off Team Spirit

Are you a big sports fan? Rep your team in a sports-themed man cave. Man caves offer a perfect place to showcase sports memorabilia as a way to add personal touches to your space, whether you like football, soccer, baseball, or a different sport.

Personalize your man cave further by adding items to show off your own sporting accomplishments. Do you have jerseys or trophies from getting competitive? Make space to hang them up and show them off in your man cave.

A Garage Away from Your Garage

Enjoy hitting the open road or working on the engine of your car? Bring your love of fast engines and chrome into your man cave by drawing on automobile design. Leather and chrome furniture brings to mind sleek cars and the freedom of a long drive.

Antique and retro shops often sell older pieces of car memorabilia for decorative purposes. Pictures of your dream ride allow you to add personalized touches to your automotive man cave.

A Personal Play Room

Nothing relieves the day’s stress like video games. Playing games allows you to unwind after a long day of work and even improve hand-eye coordination. Set up a home theater system in your man cave to make the perfect place to retreat for some gaming. Get started with:

  • A television
  • A surround sound system
  • Your console(s) of choice
  • A streaming device

Get your man cave fully kitted out for long gaming sessions by adding a mini-fridge or even a microwave. This allows you to game without distractions or interruptions for maximum relaxation.

Set Up a Cinema

Going to the movies provides a classic way to get out, enjoy yourself, and eat delicious popcorn. But what if you’d rather watch the films you want from the comfort of your man cave? Well, setting up a home theater lets you control and customize every aspect of your movie-going experience.

Focus on comfort when setting up a home theater. Comfortable chairs or couches are a must if you plan to enjoy movies. DVD players or even projectors will allow you to watch the films you want.

A personal popcorn maker serves as a functional, unique centerpiece if you’re interested in a home theater man cave.

Enjoy Your Tunes in Peace

Do you live for music, with an encyclopedic knowledge of your favorite genre? If so, a music-themed man cave could be the right choice for you. Consider getting a record player or setting up speakers to play digital music while in your man cave.

Your man cave offers you the opportunity to display your taste in music—don’t let those vintage records gather dust in boxes! Hang them on your walls to show off eye-catching cover art while showing off the music you love to all visitors you invite to your man cave. Or, install sound-absorbing foam to the walls for a studio-quality sound experience.

Personalize the Style of Your Man Cave

We’ve discussed different “themes” for your man cave, but selecting an idea represents only the start of the customization process. Personalizing the style of your man cave lets you make the space your own. Consider these styles as you think about your preferences:

Home on the Range. Enjoy the country-western style? Consider bringing the ranch style into your man cave by focusing on exposed wood, farm gear, and eye-catching pieces like mounted antlers.

Vintage Vibes. Vintage design often makes a room shine. Hang vintage signs on your walls and focus on older furniture designs to set your man cave apart.

Modern Elegance. Choosing clean, modern lines for your man cave often makes the entire room look sharp. Start with a few minimal colors for design and focus on limiting clutter to embrace the minimalist look.

Technological Marvels. Finally, if you love all the newest tech gizmos and gadgets, don’t hesitate to bring that love into your man cave. Darker colors and neon lights give your space a high-tech appearance for your enjoyment.

Make Your Man Cave a Personal Retreat

Deciding between these man cave ideas gives you a starting point to design a uniquely customized personal space. Once you pick a theme, it’s time to start selecting pieces for your man cave. Everything you choose adds character and helps make the space yours.

Find out more about designing the perfect man cave for you with assistance from the expert design team here at Kristina Wolf’s House of Design. We provide help with interior design, accessorizing, and DIY tips. Fill out the contact form on our website and take the first step to a personalized man cave designed according to your distinctive style.