Would You Pay For My House Advice?
And House Hacks
A friend of mine suggested I should offer my services for house advice at an hourly rate. This would span basic design advice, since I’m not a designer I can’t do your whole house but I DO KNOW people for that to put you in touch with. I could offer help with planning out a room (colors, layout), sourcing/vendor advice, paint color advice, what to spend money on, what to save money on, what needs to be fixed on on that home inspection report and what doesn’t, what would work for your current phase of life and where you want to be in your next phase (help minimize mistakes and use your budget wisely), teaching you how to run and maintain your house efficiently, etc. Let me know if that would be of any interest or if it’s a terrible idea!
And already, I have more advice. Last week my laundry room flooded and I quickly jumped into action to avoid water damage/potential mold (my nightmare). I grabbed my wet vac and got up everything I could, I put on a heavy duty fan to help dry the room out, and I plugged in a dehumidifier to help pull out any moisture. Luckily, I had all of these things on hand, so if you don’t this is your sign to make sure you go out and get them! They will be useful for the lifespan of your home and save you in more situations than you realize.
When the plumbers came to suss out the situation, I also asked them about a smell that was coming from the drain pipe that vinegar, baking soda, an enzymatic solution, and a call to my pest control guy wasn’t fixing, and I learned about ventilation fans. There is a ventilation fan in the wall of my laundry room that had gone bad which was causing the gasses and smells from the laundry room not to be sucked out. The fan is only five years old, so I was shocked it needed to be replaced as sometimes they can have a lifespan of a decade. However, the way to figure out you might need to replace them is the fan makes a whistling sound (this became apparent when the toilet that uses the same ventilation fan was flushed), you may notice new smells, there may be lack of airflow (can test this by seeing if it will suction a piece of paper), dust buildup, and visible damage. It was an easy fix and we also discovered the drain hose from my washing machine had been flying out of the drain pipe and spraying water down behind the machine, so that has now be zip tied to another pipe to prevent that from happening again.
During the laundry room debacle, I designed a new laundry room in my head in case there was horrible damage and an insurance claim needed to be filed. My washer and dryer are underneath a worktop and it’s nearly impossible to get them out. I would’ve explored some more options to make maintenance or damage control easier. This could’ve consisted of a worktop that hinged open if needed or a side that could be opened if needed. I also would’ve chosen a different material for the worktop to add more texture and durability to the space. The storage in the laundry room could be different and is constantly a work in progress as I work on making the space more functional. I’ve seen cool laundry rooms with pull out drawers that become folding stations which is absolutely genius and intriguing.
The potential water damage disaster I had on my hands also reminded me to check my home insurance policy to what I am and am NOT covered for. I wanted to make sure I was covered for the appropriate amount and not underinsured. This made me realize, I need to check with my broker to make sure my house is covered for the CURRENT appraisal value of the house. As I learn more about this process, I will share my findings, but after the fires in LA and other crazy things happening in the world, it is NOT worth it to be underinsured and not insured properly.
Here are this week’s interior finds…
1. Tara Rectangular Side Table 2. Berry & Thread Planter & Saucer 3. Paul Schneider Rectangle Tray 4. Gustavian Buffet 5. Hand Embroidered Personalized Cushion in Ian Mankin Devon Stripe Fabric 6. Blue Grid Quilt 7. Reverie Bath Rugs 8. Tap for Tea Green Desk Bell 9. Pink Strawberry Table Lamp 10. Round Gilded Scallop Mirror 11. Swivel Head Wall Lamp 12. Pig Cutting Board 13. Raffia Lampshade 14. Swedish Bowfront Chest 15. Irregular Fuzzy Small Area Rug
16. Ian Mankin Devon Stripe Cotton Pillow 17. Cinta Chair 18. Pressed-Glass Wine Glass 19. Rattan Crocodile 20. Ruffle Knobbed Candle Holder 21. Pretty Art Nouveau Mallorca Vintage Stone Mirror 22. Scalloped Jewelry Box 23. Haniel Handwoven Rug 24. Radicchio Serving Platter 25. Scalloped Daisy Shade Sconce 26. Lake Calico Stripe Duvet Cover 27. Artemis in Antique Gold 28. Banner Swing Arm Bath Sconce 29. Almeja Sculpture 30. Small Beech Ball Pleated Pendant Kit
31. Greta Rug 32. Perfect Prep Rubber Cutting Board 33. Cork Gold Wallpaper 34. An 18th Century Fauteuil Chair 35. Pauline Champagne Bucket 36. Crystal Balls 37. Dot Coupes 38. Dusk Runner Rug 39. Palm Tree Gold Metal Door Stop 40. Lorelei Irena Accent Chair 41. Beyza Vintage Rug 42. Mother of Pearl Art Glass Accent 43. Le Picardie Dinnerware Dinner Plate 44. Powder Blue Duvet Cover
I’m dreaming of warmer weather as we dip to 19 degrees later this week. Maybe some Spring Break shopping is in order? Here are this week’s fashion finds…
1. Fernanda Dress 2. Mauve and Rose Wildflower Naples Caftan 3. Coverup Pant 4. Diana Gown 5. Mist Greenhouse Floral Camp Shirt 6. Maxi Skirt 7. Lete Dress 8. Multi Verandah Floral Long Tunic Dress 9. Printed Silk Tunic 10. Wisteria Agar Top 11. Chrissy Azure Top
12. Off-White 3D Flowers Blouse 13. Yacht Club Caftan in Leopard 14. Marianne Shirred Organic Cotton-Poplin Midi Dress 15. Lalla Leather Sandals 16. Long-Sleeve Striped Midi Shirt Dress 17. Sofa Stripe Scoop Neck Dress 18. Red & Pink Geo Knit Mabel Midi Skirt 19. Coral & Red Reef Print Cozumel Skirt 20. Amanda Kaylee Pant 21. Ana Tapestry Pink Maxi Dress 22. Cornichon Tote 23. Women's Mid-Rise Wide Leg Linen Pull-On Pants
24. Shana Blouse 25. Finikas Long Sleeve Maxi Dress 26. Smocked-Waist Midi Dress in Shibori Dot Print 27. Black 3D Flowers Blouse 28. Lunai T-Shirt 29. Maya Kimono Jersey Maxi Dress 30. White and Blue Stripe Margie Dress 31. Lula Printed Cotton Wrap Skirt 32. Ink and White Stripe Polo Medium Canvas Tote 33. Denim Embroidered Deja Vu Denim Baseball Hat 34. Botanica Charlotte Dress 35. Lilah Corset Midi Dress
36. Nevaeh Dress 37. Emilio Pucci Long Sleeve Top 38. Juliette Cropped Jacquard Jacket 39. Matteau Deep U Sun Dress 40. Light Denim & Azure Bag 41. Akira Top 42. Veona Dress 43. Sedgewick Cotton Top 44. Liberty Book Tote, Strawberry Tree Green 45. Tianny Dress 46. Forest Green Bangle Net Maxi Caftan
To make things easier, I have created a ShopMy Page with all the goodies from today’s newsletter and previous newsletters. Full disclosure, I may earn a small commission from a retailer if you make a purchase through any of the affiliate links sprinkled throughout this newsletter, which helps me run this newsletter and technology associated with it. As always, if you need help finding something or need ideas for a project, feel free to reach out!
Current Obsessions
-AWAY released a White Lotus collection. There is a White Lotus x Aqua collection. Kiehls dropped a White Lotus travel set in stores 2/16. H&M is doing a collab with White Lotus’ costume designer, coming out 2/20. Banana Republic is releasing a collection in honor of White Lotus in March.
-Laura Logan’s stripped back house. I find this so soothing and this is my vacation house vibe.
-Is this app the answer to all of us having Cher’s closet?
-I really want my dad to get a Neko Health Body Scan, because I’m obsessed with him optimizing his health (and taking preventative measures) and being a guinea pig for me. It checks moles, health of your heart and arteries, blood sugar, cholesterol, and more. It’s only available in Stockholm and London so far and there is a 40,000 person waitlist. A writer from Glamour details the process here. Fun Fact, Neko was founded by one of the co-founders of Spotify.
-I would kill to be a member of Radio H-P.
**DEAR STYLE SNACKS: If you have something you need help finding, troubleshooting, or are curious about, please leave me a comment or send me a message, and I will be sure to feature your question (with the answer) in an upcoming newsletter.**