accentsbayarea via Instagram

From my home office to yours…

I hope that you’re staying safe and well and taking this unexpected time to turn inward for reflection until we can all meet again in person.

It’s a special opportunity to burrow in, to nest…to look around your home or office and notice how it feels. How might you want to transform your space and meet your design goals…to make it more efficient, useful, and beautiful? After all, we’ll likely be spending most of our time inside in the weeks and months ahead…Why not customize it, just for you?

During these unprecedented times of “social distancing” and uncertainty, I’m compelled to reach out and offer some comfort and guidance by sharing ways we can help make your home or office a sanctuary of wellness, calm, and productivity.

We are not closed for business! We’re here and can meet with you via video conference, phone, or whatever’s most comfortable for you.

I want to help you find creative ways to enhance the place where you’re spending all your time…without you having to leave the security of your home.

Throughout this blog post, you’ll notice plants pictured everywhere. They not only purify the air; they also promote wellness and contribute to biophilic design–the art of bringing the outdoor elements indoors. Nature and greenery are known to play a crucial role in our happiness and productivity at work. To find out which plants are best for cleaning the air,  read the full article here.

Photo credit Country Living magazine Getty/Waitrose Garden

Imagine having a yoga or meditation room in your own home. We can help you repurpose, renovate, or redecorate an existing space.

Photo credit The Journey Junkie

Photo credit: freshome.com Design credit: Candelaria Design Associates

A yoga or meditation room provides a way to deeply relax, declutter your mind, sneak away from the onslaught of news, set intentions, and re-energize for your day.

Here are some professional tips from my experienced yogi friend, Marcy Caron of Fitness Yoga:

• Make sure you have natural sunlight in the space (So important to keep your spirits up!)
• Replace carpet with hard surface flooring
• Keep two yoga blocks and a strap on hand
• Be sure to adjust the temperature so it is not too cool (or too hot)
• Don’t have mirrors! (This was news to me as I am a huge advocate of using mirrors to make a space look larger… not in this case!)
• Place a small fountain or oil diffuser on a table.

And, whether you’re converting an existing interior space or an outdoor living area, consider using cushions in Sunbrella or other outdoor fabrics, as well as items you can easily bring inside.

I often recommend an LVT, or Luxury Vinyl Flooring, which comes in a variety of wood grain patterns and a plethora of colors or stains to emulate real wood. It’s less costly, extremely durable, and easier to keep clean.

You can place a small meditation console or altar table against a wall as shown here, to display peace-inducing items, like a diffuser, a small fountain, accessories, a plant, and more.

Photo credit dharmacrafts

Here are some other tables I love for a yoga studio because they’re versatile and can be used in other rooms in your home–like an entry– and many different makers offer these. You can see some examples here:

Hooker Furniture Presidio

o

Hooker Furniture Ravenna console table

You deserve to luxuriate. How about a spa bathroom?

Photo by Stephanie Nickolson

I love the way a crystal chandelier ceiling mounted light fixture casts shadows and patterns on a ceiling and adds a hint of glamour to any room.

I had this beautiful sheer patterned fabric made into drapery panels, which hang to the floor to create an ethereal vibe in the space. The freestanding tub also adds to a spa-like luxury experience. For soaker tubs, tub companies have many custom options to include in your bathing experience. You can even choose from additional options, such as Chromotherapy– a light system with selectable colors to soothe you as you relax in the tub–and there are many bubble and water massage options to choose from.

As for your showers, there are so many different options available. For example, you can have a rain shower head with controllable water flow ranging from a soft mellow rain to a more invigorating stream. The shower head can either be stationary or removable, to be hand-held when you desire. I just ordered one for an elderly client, with a handheld piece that’s lightweight and practical.

Photo credit Dura

This curvaceous freestanding tub, appropriately called “Luv”, is so graceful in its contours and looks fabulous centered in a room and placed under a window.

Photo by Stephanie Nickolson

When designing this master bathroom pictured above, I endeavored to make the space appear larger… so, I angled the shower and the glass area and incorporated a selection of warm gray-toned tiles to create visual interest and consistency throughout the room.

Photo by Stephanie Nickolson

Photo by Stephanie Nickolson

The small stones used in this shower’s niches, as well as the shower floor (or “shower pan”), create a beachy feel and a  natural look.

Here are some ideas to literally add warmth to your spa-like bathroom:

• Radiant heat for flooring– Ask us about this! Basically, it’s an applied underlayment of heated coils that create warmth underfoot and penetrates through the tile or other flooring installed above it.
• Heated towel bars– As the name implies, these are electric towel warmers
• Bathtub trays–When placed across the width of the tub, you can put your soaps, scrub brushes, loofah sponges, and more

Let’s make your home office more efficient and aesthetically pleasing.

Photo credit Four Hands

Photo credit via pinterest

Photo credit Hooker Furniture

I can help you select acoustical products, as shown below, that include light fixtures and wall panels that can help absorb the sound in a room. (Great for children’s playrooms as well!).

Photo credit Buzzi Space

Photo credit Buzzi Space BuzziDish

It’s of utmost importance that we all become mindful about actively staying healthy and with reduced stress. An uncluttered office (I better start practicing what I preach!) paired with a clear mind improves productivity and enables you to focus.

Another way to achieve clarity is through biophilic elements. I’ve always been extremely interested in this topic. Adding natural elements to a room–such as natural woods and water features–can enhance your productivity. I love live plant walls, but they’re not always feasible in a smaller home office. Instead, you can have floor plants, trees and flowering plants. This article highlights these benefits:

Read the full article here.

Photo credit Material Bank, Wood Statements

Among our many wonderful makers and sources is Wood Statements, which offers natural products–for shelves, wall treatments and more– to enhance any room by bringing biophilic elements into the space.

Ask us for a sample rendering to show how these products can make a simple room evolve into a unique, warm, and beautiful space!

We’d also love to design your:

• Wine cellar
• Workout or exercise room
• Craft room
• Cave (he or she ; )
• Exterior space 
• And more…

Let us help you curate any or all of your design selections and oversee the delivery and precise placement of them in your home. You won’t have to do a thing.

I’m looking forward to collaborating with you on your design goals.

Stay well,

   ~Stephanie

To see more of my design blog posts: click here.

To check out my full website: click here.