What Comes First- The Paint or The Furniture?

Hola todos! Ok, so first off- FELIZ CUMPLEANOS Y PROSPERO NUEVO ANO! I can't believe the year is over, but boy am I happy that it is, as it was not the best years for me. I lost a lot of mi familia este ano- un tio, my tia y un primo. To top it off, I was extremely ill for a good portion of the year. No bueno! I positively look forward to a much better 2012!

Today I want to discuss a recent and very frequently asked question for those redoing a room in their home. When I'm going to paint, do I pick my paint colors first or do I pick my furniture and it's fabric first? The answer is very logical to me, but boggles the minds of most homeowners.

It happens so often, you find a paint color that you love in an article in your favorite magazine and you quickly rush out and buy it, a smock and all the tools you need. You put your hair up in two little monyos (buns) and go to town painting the walls of your room and other things you probably shouldn't have gotten paint on, lol. The paint inspires you! You want all new furniture now. The walls look so good, you can't possibly keep your old stuff anymore. Que basura! Now, la problema... You can't find a thing to match that sexy paint color you threw on your walls! Y por que? Furniture come in far less colors than paints do. You may think- well, I can just go crazy with my wall color and then I can easily find a tan sofa, neutral goes with everything! NO! Certain neutrals can go with many colors but even neutrals have their own coordinating colors. Let me explain...

Let's say you paint your wall purple, like this one... This purple has a red undertone, so it works best with a tan that is warm, as the undertone of this violet is also warm. if you used a gray (which I wouldn't put a gray sofa in front of such a powerful color, you would need to use a warm gray as well, which would also have a tan or brown undertone. Not just any tan or any gray would go with this purple... and I'd never put a black sofa in front of this color, AY! "Black is not the new black!" Actually, orange is... but that's a whole other story!

Pero si tu tiene este color pupura...Now that's an entirely different story. Notice the tones of neutral they've paired with this violet- a mirrored (gray) nightstand and light gray ottomans at the foot of the bed. They are in a cool gray, because the purple on the wall is a cool gray. If you also notice here, the color on the wall is taken from the print in the pillows and the blanket. It was easy to find a purple to match the print. You can bring a pillow to the paint store and try to match to a swatch yourself, or ask the man or woman behind the counter to custom color match the color in the print for you. Intiendes? Es mucho mas facil! There are way too many shades of purple paint, so it's easy to find the perfect paint to match your linens, but imagine doing it the other way around. It's impossible! If you've already painted the wall and then try to find a set of linen or a furniture with the exact color fabric as this paint, you are searching for a very tiny needle in a very large haystack! The colors in furniture or linens are very limited. There may be four or five bed sets in purple, but none that are anything like the one you are looking for. It's just too difficult, and not worth making the mistake.

So, when you decide to paint your room, first think about exactly what you will be doing with the space. If you will be changing the furniture or if it's a bedroom, find the perfect set of sheets for your room and then select a color within the print (or just the solid color) and have the paint store make the paint for you. It will save you time, money and stress!

Besos!

How Quickly We Grow- Hispanic Population On The Rise! Doing Latin Business

My people are some of the most beautiful people in the world (as are all other Latinos). We are strong, we have curves, we have pride and we are very rapidly becoming the majority population of the entire world, much less the United States. And while many continue to slam us, mock groups of us and ignore us, to do so is not a wise decision for any business owner- ANYMORE!

Census results which review the last decade show that the Hispanic population has grown 56% from the year 2000 to the year 2010. We are becoming business owners and career-minded two earner households with great buying power. We are becoming wealthier and even in the lower income homes are some serious shoppers! Wouldn't it be smart to cater to such a large group of potential buyers? Despite any negative feelings toward us, we are too large to ignore and if you don't market to get our money, someone else will!

I progressively search for Hispanic clientele, in addition to all other clients I cater to. I have yet to work on the home of a Latino, and it makes me discouraged at times, as I know that there are thousands of affluent Hispanics out there. It makes me wonder who they go to to design their homes? Do they research Latin owned businesses in their area? I'M HERE WAITING TO SERVICE MY COMMUNITY! Find me please!

If you would like to find Latin business owners in your community, search the following websites to find them. You will be surprised, and hopefully impressed by the results.

www.lbdusa.com

www.latinamarketplace.com

www.hispanicsurf.com

Change Your Room For The Season

Just a few minor tweaks can give you a winter wonderland feel, JUST DON"T OVER-DO IT!

A standard living room with basic decor (except for that great chandelier((had to do it!)), can transform with subtle changes! BEFORE PIC

Hace frio! At least it is everywhere else. I live in AZ, and I guess we would say it was freezing here too, but we'd be over-reacting, it's in the upper 70's. We cry like babies when we have to wear three quarter length sleeves! But your poor living room is sad too, sad that it has to wear the same decor season in and season out without a little change to spruce things up when the holidays come. 

So.... some us of tend to go un poco loco with the Christmas decor. You're in the store and you see the cutest little turkey pillow and think "hmm, that would look great on my couch." Then, across the same aisle you see little pilgrim statues and "ay que lindo, the indians right next to them make you think of the village people." Usted tiene que tener! Before you know it, you've filled your cart with sparkly cornucopia, pumpkin spice scented candles, all of the pilgrims, village people and gingerbread men that you can find (cuz you're already thinking about Christmas!). Ay, yay, yay, your poor living room looks more like a holiday flea market, than a well put together room. While the urge to alter your decor for the changing seasons is right, the approach of more is better is all wrong and us Latinos can't help but want it all- we shop in complete sets honey!

One of the greatest things about the seasons changing is that you can create a new identity in your room for very little money. Here are the do's and don'ts for a sophisticated yet understated transformation.

1. Focus only on the rooms that your guests will see, and even then DON'T GO CRAZY! Start with your powder room and just add a new scent, a tasteful hand towel in the holiday theme- PERO, ES MUY IMPORTANTE that it stays in the same color scheme as the room currently is. Where we start to get tacky is when we throw red, green and gold in a room that is teal or lavender or rusty orange. Don't go there! Stick with a hand towel and possibly a small statue in a neutral tone of cream or silver or gold, not multiple colors of joy.
2. A tablescape is another great way to show your holiday spirit. A tablescape is a grouping of like items on a table, console or cabinet. Si, yo se usted tiene todo el pueblo de Navidad- but that doesn't mean all fifty little houses need to go on your dining room table. If you truly have the space to display them, then do so, but not in an area that gets used constantly like a coffee table or an area where your pets or children/ grandchildren can attack the little skaters on the ice. A good example of a grouping would be a decorative bowl of pretty Christmas tree ornaments, 3 metal mini trees, or 5 small angel statues. Make sure you group in quantities of three or five, never just two items. Also, unless going for a very modern look, do not line these items up like you would do to your village people, no bueno!
3. Change out your pillows- AGAIN NO TE VUELVAS LOCO! That red plaid pillow with the grandma and the snowman is NOT HOT! Here is a real chance to change the overall feel of your room with simple changes. Focus on the color of your room's main pieces- the wall color, your sofa and the accent furniture. Remove your current pillows and accent your room with a new fur throw in snowy white and maybe a few throw pillows in cream or white with white shimmery or silver snowflakes. If your room has blues or teals, incorporate the white and blue combination or even purples for your bold Christmas decor. If your room has more of a neutral palette- tans, browns, camel colors- use white, cream decor, red decor or golds. If your room has a cooler neutral palette- the trendy grays or blacks, go for whites, blacks, shimmery silvers, reds, teals or purples. To sum up, a bright white snowy look will work with any palette. If lost- go for white!
4. Have fun, not too much fun! Be practical- this is a space you will use constantly. If you see the room above, replacing just a few small items makes the room ready for snow- even in a warm climate like AZ or FL, where you just won't get any... There are also many pieces of trendy current decor that can be interpreted to have a holiday theme (like the crown pillow). You can always work that into your room later on in spring.