Still feeling the stress of prepping your home for the holidays? Is it time to call a designer? I’m not shy about telling the truth or my opinion as it relates to anything with home design. So to continue that spirit of total transparency – this blog has info for my services in it. But I wouldn’t be sharing it if I didn’t think it could genuinely help so many of you right now. Before we get to that, let me share the top three (3) reasons to collaborate with a designer so you can decide first if it’s what you need.

For any given category of home items, there’s SO many different ways to organize any given one. If you took my recent Decluttering Personality Type Quiz, I’ve received feedback that just taking it has inspired decluttering projects. As a type 3, I’m a closet connoisseur of organization inspo of all kinds. So in wanting to share some visually stunning organization ideas with you, I went to search the entirety of my Pinterest boards, and had pages and pages of options. From there, I selected my top 10 favorites that I felt were 1) beautiful, 2) practical, and 3) repeatable. And spoiler alert, most of them were created by fellow designers and professional organizers. So if you’re all amped up to tackle a closet or a whole room this weekend, here’s my 10 BEST designer inspired organization ideas for your viewing pleasure!

Today I want to talk about something that might be a little taboo in our homes this time of year. And it’s the frankly one of the biggest barriers I find people have when designing the home of their dreams. It might be a dirty word to some, but clutter is clutter is clutter. Let’s call it what it is! But I’m offering a bit of a different perspective. Because although I design homes for a living, I’m by no means a master at organization. In fact, when I was in kindergarten, I wanted to be an ice skater/painter/writer/dog trainer for the blind. Um hello, none of these dreams involved decluttering a house. I’m a creative type, so I’m motivated to make things prettier and easier. And I love to learn about processes for organization and some of the mentalities behind it. From my experience, I’m hypothesizing there’s five primary decluttering personality types.

Are you curious to find out yours? Keep reading to get more background on this theory or you can jump to the quiz now!

Hi friends! I hope you’re having a great week. Today I wanted to give a totally honest answer to the big question of “is it too late to start home projects for the holidays?”

So the follow up to What’s In and What’s Out Pt. 1 was a little challenging in sourcing the images for the what’s out examples. While there’s no problem whatsoever showing what we ripped out or changed in our current home, I hesitate to show client “before” photos. Or even pictures from other bloggers if we’re going to slap my “OUT OF STYLE” label on it! But it’s important to visually show you the differences of what’s in and out of style. Below is part two of my list of the top 10 design trends people are getting the heck out of their homes/lives in 2020.

December is historically my favorite month of the whole year – but it can be a lot! It can feel like three months crammed into one. In my event planning and interior design experience, I’ve learned a little prep goes a LONG way. Especially this time of year! But I’m noticing many folks having unrealistic expectations of what projects can be completed before the big “game days.” And this can add to unnecessary stress! So today I’m issuing this check-in quiz with straight-forward answers on whether your home is ready for the holidays or not. [Click to skip my back-story and jump to Is Your Home Ready for the Holidays quiz now!]

Happy Labor Day Weekend, friends! I hope you are spending some time safely with those closest to you, relaxing and savoring the extra time off.  If you’re like me and you’re hitting any of the Labor Day sales at furniture/decor stores this weekend, I have a few quick tips for holiday weekend shopping & some info on the Diderot Effect.

There’s a gal I watch on Youtube who creates videos along the lines of “things in your closet to throw away right now.” And I can’t help but respect the boldness of that! Especially in 2020; nobody’s got time to dance around what they can’t stand in their homes. So I’ve reviewed my recent interior design projects and created a list of the top 10 design trends people are getting the heck out of their lives in 2020. Read on to see part one of what’s IN and what’s OUT in 2020.

Happy Sunday y’all! While I firmly believe weekends are meant for relaxation and fun times connecting with friends/family, I know we can’t help but look around our house in judgement. Especially in these upside down times where you might be home significantly more than the past. Trust me when I say, I KNOW this feeling of discouragement where your expectations and the reality of your home are just not lining up. The struggle is real! So I thought this was a good time to provide my blog audience with background on why I’ve launched my Virtual Design Strategy Sessions. Because this could be EXACTLY what you need to incite great change in your home.

If you’ve been following since my very first blog post, then you know that 2020 has been a fun year of experimentation at my own house. I love trying things here – especially projects on a budget – so I can advise on whether a client or friend should try the same thing. Today we’re trying three (3) experimental paint techniques on some home decor items.

Rewind a few weeks back, and you may have joined me on my Thrift with Me blog post where I found some cool items I wanted to makeover for the mini-farm. I rode the high of excitement over to Michael’s craft store and picked up supplies to start these DIYs. Between waiting out summer non-stop showers to paint and having one fail pretty fast…this post was almost #cancelled. But since this blog is in the spirit of experimentation, I wanted to explore so I can share my thoughts with you.

We’re not failing, we’re learning! 🙂 I’ll start with my favorite…

Glass Lamp Base Painting

I had a lot of confidence in this project because of how well I learned the Dollar Tree glass vases take paint. (You can check out that super fun DIY in my Instagram Story Highlights!) New lamp bases, especially big ones like this, are often pretty expensive to replace. Using this $16 Goodwill find, I used some leftover paint to give this guy a new life!

First I went in with one layer of white spray paint. But as you can see in the photo above, it definitely needed about 2-3 total coats to cover.

Photo after the second or third coat of spray paint was applied. With spray paint, you always have to move the piece around to ensure you’ve touched all angles.

Another trick I recommend when you’re covering a pattern with a white or similar light color, is to add a little pattern on top. This is an insurance policy to make sure the old pattern is nearly undetectable. I really liked how easy this small brush stroke pattern was, and that it didn’t have to look totally perfect.

If you caught my Lamps DIY or the 2020 DIY recap, you heard the news that this lamp shade was needing a new base from its tragic fall. I totally love how these two look together in terms of color and overall proportion.

Marbled Terra Cotta Pot

So this is where I nearly had an “I give up” moment. I found this blank canvas terra cotta pot when I went to Michael’s to purchase the supplies. We needed to transition an orchid into bigger pot, so I thought this would be a fun opportunity to paint.

Basically, I originally wanted to do a “dipped” look with some Mod Podge glazing but it all went to heck really fast. In hindsight, I should’ve worked with a deeper, bigger bowl of paint to have more control of the “dip” effect.

So after nearly all of the beautiful terra cotta color was covered, I decided to get really bold and try a marbling technique.

Warning: this was 10 out of 10 on the messy scale! The marbled effect was created by lightly mixing colors with Mod-Podge in a small bowl and basically dripping it on. After all the paint is applied strategically, leave it somewhere safe to dry overnight.

Not sure if I love it, but let me know what YOU think of this finish!

Chalk Painted Coffee Bar Shelf

Another one from my recent Thrift Store finds! I bought this shelf for just $3 and envisioned hanging it above our coffee machine to clear some counter. You would think a girl living at a literal mini-farm would have tried chalk paint out sooner, but there’s no time like the present!

I picked a white chalk paint to update the look of the shelf and pop against our slate blue walls. First I will say, I was super impressed by how far a little chalk paint will go. I did two coats and some touch-ups and I don’t think I used even 4oz.

I watched a Youtube video on chalk paint before this experiment and was excited that it didn’t require prep to get started. However, to give it any sort of style, you basically have to do the work on the back end. To create this finish, I had to vigorously sand down for 10-15 minutes. I may try to use a wax glaze technique on another upcoming chalk paint project. So stay tuned for that if you’re interested!

With chalk paint, I now recommend trying to use a fine, soft, dense brush. (The kind that’s made for chalk paint!) That way it might not leave as many strokes on the finished piece. That definitely added to the sanding time! Overall I like the finish, and that again it doesn’t need to be perfect. Would Joanna Gaines approve my farmhouse style shelf?

So there you have it! Which of these 3 experimental paint techniques have you tried? Let me know what you liked best in the comments below.

About Kaitlyn Loos

Kaitlyn Loos [loh-s] is one of the newest designers for interiors and events in the west-central Florida area. (Tampa, Ocala, Gainesville, and everywhere in between.) She brings over seven years of graphic design, project management, and event planning experience to create amazing spaces and experiences for her clients. She is one of the only interior design companies in her area who offers modern, fresh, pattern and color-savvy designs. From styling an event to designing an entire home, Kaitlyn Loos Design is a full service company that delivers style for nearly any investment level. She also enjoys sharing her ideas and projects through her new blog which reaches over 325 people monthly.

For more information about Kaitlyn, check out: About Kaitlyn: Interior Design, and About Kaitlyn: Event Planning.

You can also subscribe to the blog and contact Kaitlyn directly here.

Disclaimers: a small percentage of purchases from select links will benefit me via an affiliate program. I appreciate anyone who wants to support my blog by shopping the products, but there is no obligation to buy.

All of my DIY blog content is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I share what works for me in my home, but you should consult with professionals/landlords before taking on any construction projects. My blog does not constitute interior design advice for readers. I am not liable or responsible for any damages resulting from or related to your use of this information.