When you first move into your new home, it is likely you will have a list of items you must change right away, to fit your design and practical needs.  As far as your landscaping goes, I recommend that you maintain what you have for at least one full year—the entire growing cycle of everything in your lot.  This way you may avoid chopper/whacker/digger remorse: “Oh, I wish I’d known that was a flowering syringa (lilac) and not just a weedy-stick-y looking thing.”  Additionally, if you begin planting right away, you won’t really know your micro-areas and could well be pulling dead, stick-like plants, shrubs, trees which you only recently purchased. It takes a bit of self-control to avoid that initial “clean-up” and planting frenzy, but you may thank yourself eternally if you can hold off.

During that first year of restraint, watch the pattern of the sun across your lot/land, learn the irrigation system or lack thereof, note shady, sunny, dry, wet, windy, catbox, and understory areas. Note the neighbors’ yards, and see what works and doesn’t, and what you like and don’t.  If you are so inclined, keep a gardener’s notebook with your observations..  Decide what you want your lot to be, and what fits into your lifestyle. Whether you are a retired, full-time master gardener, or an organic gardener, or you “just wanna bbq and kick-back”, there are landscapes to fit your ideal. Developing a plan for all of your “yard-rooms”, as 20^th century British gardener Gertrude Jekyll named the various areas of the yard, is a comprehensive approach.  Where do the kids play? Where are the garbage/recycle bins stashed?

Think about traffic patterns—where do you want paths, seating areas, and garden beds. Also consider “hardscape”: walls, fences, garden structures, screening from neighbors, and parking areas.

A well-planned landscape enhances the value of your home and lets you extend the walls of your home from lot line to lot line.

Patricia Allene Atkins is a Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) with a passion for plants in Eugene, Oregon.

When approaching a kitchen or bath remodel or new construction, you can make things a lot more comfortable by getting creative with the heights of your base cabinets.

Standard heights traditionally have been 36” tall (including the thickness of the countertop material) for kitchen base cabinets, and 29” – 30” tall for bathrooms. These heights are good overall, but are surely not set in stone and can make life a lot more comfortable with some tweaking.

Consider the users’ heights when deciding on cabinet heights. If everyone in the household is tall, consider having the main area of the kitchen raised an inch or so. Chopping will be much more comfortable that way, and it will help avoid arm and back fatigue. If household members are various heights, consider having one area raised higher and another area at the standard height. If you have someone who requires lower heights, such as a wheelchair user, consult a design professional to assist with their particular needs.

In the bathroom areas, consider the primary users when determining the best heights.  The master bath would likely serve adults, so having the base vanities at a taller 34” height will help to avoid stress on the users’ backs when utilizing the sink for face washing and tooth brushing.  If a child uses the area, keep a small step stool handy for those times. A main hall bath outside the children’s rooms could have the standard height. If the children are a bit older (and taller) and you intend to remain in the home longer than a few years, consider the taller height there too for when the children are taller, as they do grow quickly!

Just a few adjustments can make for happy backs, and aren’t difficult at all to achieve if you plan ahead.

After 20 years as an interior designer, certified antiques appraiser, and personal property and lifestyle specialist, Lorelei Barrett added real estate to her quiver of skills in 2010. Her designs, products and advice have been featured in numerous regional and national home and building publications. She has been featured regularly on numerous television and radio shows, as well as home, design and trade shows,  sharing her wealth of knowledge and advice. Lorelei resides near Spokane, Washington on a small farm accompanied by two horses, one cat and two West Highland Terriers.

One of the most frequent questions interior designers hear is how to choose colors for a home. We all love color, but some people are afraid of using color in their home. Many find they fear committing to a certain color scheme or making a mistake after it is all done. Here are some ideas to help to get you started.

To try to determine just what colors to use in your home, look in your closet! You’ll see the basic wardrobe classics in there: black, brown, navy, beige/khaki. Those colors are neutrals and very applicable in your home color scheme. Now, check out the colors hanging there, too. Unless you are a serious fashionista, a certain color or two will emerge as a standard in your color preference repertoire. Even prints will feature similar colors. These colors are a great place to start to help you decide what colors to use in your home. If you love wearing certain colors and feel good wearing them, you will enjoy seeing them throughout your décor.

Lest you feel the need to paint an entire room tomato red (or whatever color you find that you prefer), just paint the walls a nice warm taupe or other neutral that you like and use the tomato red as an accent color with some of your accessories such as throw pillows, lamp bases, art on the walls or throw rugs. You can even practice with some inexpensive items you might find at a tag sale or discount store before you commit with higher priced items. Give it a try and don’t be afraid to keep working at it.

After 20 years as an interior designer, certified antiques appraiser, and personal property and lifestyle specialist, Lorelei Barrett added real estate to her quiver of skills in 2010. Her designs, products and advice have been featured in numerous regional and national home and building publications. She has been featured regularly on numerous television and radio shows, as well as home, design and trade shows, sharing her wealth of knowledge and advice. Lorelei resides near Spokane, Washington on a small farm accompanied by two horses, one cat and two West Highland Terriers.