Welcome to Here's What You Do (Décor)!

Hey There!

We're Steve and Andrea.

You may be familiar with our sister blogs, Here's What You Do (Altanta), Here's What You Do, (Travel), Here's What You Do (Learning), Here's What You Do (Gourmet), Here's What You Do (Consumer), and Tablescape Times Three.  So, you know we like the decorative arts and all things creative. What you may not know is that we practice what we preach. In fact, in the past year, we've renovated one home completely and are halfway through the renovation of another. And we've done the lion's share of that work all by ourselves.

We certainly appreciate the fine and performing arts, and we also believe that bringing artistic elements into the home makes for a much more interesting life. We are looking forward to sharing crafty tips, historical information, major projects, and anything we discover along the way.

In HWYD (Décor), we are going to tackle questions like:

• What are the quickest and least expensive ways to change the look of an entire room?
• Should I reupholster or buy new?
• What major point have I missed about monogramming?
• What is a tablescape and why should I care?
• How did I miss the elegant uses for rope lighting?
• What are some original and creative ways to finish a bonus space?
• How I do I use a theme in my room but not go overboard?
• If I am willing to splurge a little on a remodel, where will I get some powerful WOW out of it?
• What do I need to consider if I am upgrading only to rent this home?

There's Decorating...and then There's Decorating with a Larger Purpose in Mind

If you are just looking for a site of endless and disconnected ideas that seem to promote changing every little thing in your home just for the sake of it, then this may not be the site for you. When we consider our décor and then proceed with changes, there is always a larger goal in mind. Usability and comfort are high priorities in any event. We want to really live in our home. Beautiful is nice, but decorating "just for show" is a little affected for us. We can be crafty and budget conscious, but we can also be a little exorbitant and high-maintenance. Some of our ideas are whimsical and transient, but for the big investments, we try to be forward-thinking both in terms of style and utility. We are pretty sentimental about our family and how we live together, so our choices will always reflect those values. And competing needs cause decorating conflicts! The particulars of how these conflicts are resolved also reflect the end goal of a project. For instance, will we be renting out the property? Is this change temporary until we are sure what we want, or is it the BIG long-term choice? If we add built-ins on this wall, where on EARTH will the piano go?

Whether our projects only take an afternoon or drag on for months, one baby step at a time, the key for us is this: we want to make décor choices that -

• make a better use of the space
• consider how the space is used by all 
• are aesthetically pleasing
• make sense for the goal
• we can afford to replace if ruined by use
• are creative and as unique as possible
• are a good value for the investment of time and money
• are just plain smart

Here's what you need to know about us. We are putting our money where our mouth is. We will tell you what we are doing and why as well as what we aren't doing and why not. We will include plans, schedules, instructions, budgets, the over-budget problems, anxiety of appliance searching, the small touches that make this house a home, small ideas that provide quick decorating solutions, how competing needs of various family members drive decorating decisions, how our instincts help us and hurt us in becoming landlords, our favorite places for unique finds, and so much more! 

Here's What You Do (Décor)

So, get ready for Here's What You Do (Décor).  Check out our Facebook page.  Like the page to add it to your Facebook feed.  It's gonna be fun!

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