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January 2009 E-zine |
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Turquoise Décor LLC |
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From Drab to Fab! |
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( 206 753 7389 |
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Photography © by Skedonk.com |
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Proudly serving clients from the following communities: Seattle, the Eastside, King County, Snohomish County, Pierce County, Tacoma, Bellevue, Renton, Seatac, Shoreline, Redmond, Kirkland, Issaquah, Sammamish, Kent, Auburn, West Seattle, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Woodinville, Kenmore, Fife, Federal Way, Edmonds, Brier, Bothell, Lake Forest Park, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Normandy Park, Greenlake, Carnation, Duvall, Everett, Monroe, Lake Stevens, North Bend, Snoqualmie, Copyright © 2008 Turquoise Décor Newsletter.
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Happy New Year! |
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It’s the start of another new year (how can that be?!) and we’re all hoping for greater success in 2009. A great way to leave all the current pessimism behind and enter this New Year with renewed energy and optimism is to give your home or office a fabulous make-over. The good news is, you don’t have to break the bank to do it. There are so many stunningly affordable options out there that top quality design and décor is now available to everyone. Read how going green is becoming the norm in the architectural and design forecast for 2009, and see our tips and tricks section for some great ideas to get 2009 off to a rocking (not rocky!) start. Speaking of rocky, it has also been a tough time on the real estate market. Read about the current conditions and get some free advice about buying and selling a home. In this climate staging your home could mean the difference between selling it or leaving it on the shelf. Read more about the potential benefits of staging here. January is Get Organized Month. If you have been resisting change all these years, 2009 may be the year to embrace it. When yours truly was a teenager, 2009 was used in science fiction movies to signify a date so far in the future that technology had made most of life’s chores redundant. Well, it hasn’t quite worked out that way, but over time some great methods and products have come into being that can make our lives so much easier. As for that pesky mindset of yours - read our featured contributor’s article on dealing with change – so you can take your life and your business to the next level. Let’s make 2009 the best year ever!
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Issue 3, January 2009 |
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n Join us at an amazing new networking and seminar series called Work Smarter Forum. The next seminar in the series takes place on Thursday, February 12th.
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Featured Articles
n Residential Design Forecast for 2009 by Heidi Helgeson n Real Estate in 2009 by Ray Dove n The Way You Live is the Way You Perform by Craig Sigl
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Red raises a room’s energy level. In the living room or dining room, red draws people together and stimulates conversation. In an entryway, it creates a strong first impression. Because it has been shown to raise blood pressure, speed respiration and heart rate, it is usually considered too stimulating for bedrooms. It can make people feel irritable if they sit in a red room for long periods of time so it should be avoided as the main color in an office situation. |
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Decorating Tips & Tricks
Did you know that color can affect mood to the extent that it can impact on employees' productivity? You may want to think twice about this important element if you are thinking about re-decorating at home or at work. When selecting color for a room, you should consider how you would like to make use of the space and keep in mind that each color has a psychological value. Think about how a color makes you feel.
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Contributors to this edition: |
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Yellow is uplifting and communicates happiness. It’s perfect for kitchens, dining rooms, and bathrooms, where happy color is energizing and uplifting. In halls, entries, and small spaces, yellow can feel expansive and welcoming. It is not, however, a good choice in a work space because it tends to create feelings of frustration and anger in people and they are more likely to lose their tempers in a yellow room. |
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Blue brings down blood pressure and slows respiration and heart rate. That’s why it’s considered calming, relaxing, and serene, and is often recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms. Be careful, however, to balance lighter shades with warm hues in the furnishings and fabrics, as an abundance of blue can be very cold. Also bear in mind that dark blue can evoke feelings of sadness. |
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Green is considered the most restful color for the eye. Combining the refreshing quality of blue and the cheerfulness of yellow, green is suited to almost any room. It is believed to relieve stress by helping people relax. A great choice for offices. |
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Purple in its darkest values is rich, dramatic, and sophisticated. It’s associated with luxury as well as creativity. Lighter versions of purple, such as lavender and lilac, bring the same restful quality to bedrooms as blue does, but without the risk of feeling chilly. This is another great choice for office decor. |
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Orange evokes excitement, enthusiasm, and is an energetic color. While not a good idea for a living room or for bedrooms, this color is great for an exercise room or to stimulate energy in a working environment. |
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Hot Products
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This filing system comes ready to use with existing home or small business filing systems. |
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January 2009 Featured Articles
Residential Design Forecast for 2009 By Heidi Helgeson
With our current weak economy, most people are being forced to tighten their spending. Many would think this means a grim outlook for residential architecture and design in 2009. In my opinion, this weak economy may be pushing us in the right direction in terms sustainability and “greening” up our homes this year. As designers, builders, and clients think about their current homes, plans for remodeling, or constructing a new home, the big push will be for savings through energy efficiency and weatherization.
Increasing the energy efficiency of our homes can be a relatively easy and inexpensive task for existing homes and will be inherent in design of new construction. Increasing energy efficiency for existing homes can be as easy as: increasing insulation in attics, crawlspaces, spaces over unheated areas, installing a programmable thermostat to replace a manual thermostat, and finding and sealing air leaks. New construction and remodels will focus on the energy efficiency of the building envelope, by maximizing insulation and minimizing air infiltration. Other steps towards this goal will include energy efficient appliances, lighting, and plumbing fixtures. These trends towards energy efficiency will not only be good for saving costs on our energy bills, but also helpful for our environment.
Heidi Helgeson is the founder of H2D, a residential architectural design firm. If you would like more information on how to increase the energy efficiency of your home in 2009, please contact heidi@h2d-llc.com.
Real Estate in 2009! By Ray Dove
Yes, we are in some most interesting times with all the negative news about our economy. I am sure you have heard how difficult it is to buy a home, and how home prices are still dropping. So, what should you do now? Buy? Sell? Wait?
Yes, we are in some most interesting times with all the negative news about our economy. I am sure you have heard how difficult it is to buy a home, and how home prices are dropping. So, what should you do now? Buy? Sell? Wait? Here are few things to consider if wanting to buy a home: 1) YES, money is available to purchase a home and at the lowest levels in 40 years. 2) Yes you need employment, respectable credit, and a down payment. 3) You have a huge selection of homes to consider. 4) You will not have to compete with other offers, which puts you in the drivers seat to create the right deal for you. 5) You can make an offer, can ask the seller to help pay your closing costs and the sellers are more open about making repairs ... This is the best time since I have been in the real estate business, 30 years, for someone to buy a home, but only if you make the decision to buy before others see the opportunities. Here are a few things to consider when selling a home: 1) YES, homes are selling. Certainly not at the pace they were just a couple of years ago, but homes are selling, some only on the market for 1 day. 2) The Price has to be right!...You must establish a price that will be consistent with the current market conditions and most recent sold properties. 3) Your home must be easy to show... Repairs made, painting, cleaning, yard looking great, no trash, and no pet smells. If your home is vacant hire someone to stage your home. The better your home appears the more it will appeal to a prospective buyer and do not turn off the power or heat as buyers do not like looking at cold and dark homes. Staging a home will help make your home more appealing than most homes on the market. Staging will give you a competitive edge in a very competitive market. 4) Be open and willing to look at any offer that is presented, it may make the difference in selling or not selling. Buyers will compare your home to others that they see and if they do not perceive value in your home they will continue looking until the find the home that they think offers the best value for their dollar, just as you would. Ray Dove is a realtor with RE/MAX Eastside Brokers, Inc. www.raydove.com "Creating Opportunities For You"
January 2009 is Get Organized Month. Craig Sigl highlights that the possibility of living a better way is available to all of us. The Way you Live is the Way You Perform by Craig Sigl
Are you running around all day putting out fires and reacting to problems? Do you find yourself scrambling to make appointments and showing up late far too often? Is life for you one big constant stream of rushing around and you never seem to be able to break out of it? Folks, that kind of stress is not only hurting your body, but it's destroying your productivity at work and home....and it's costing you precious time and money. In surveys, doctors report between 50-75% of all appointments are stress related. Some folks might say: "Well, that's just the way I am." I'm here to tell you....it's a choice. Everybody can change, everybody can take charge of themselves. It all starts with a decision and then taking action. Think of your stress like a glass of water and there's only so much room to handle the necessaries such as work, finances and family. Looking at your office desk with mounds of paper or that cluttered bedroom of yours every day overflows the glass. Let me be blunt for a moment...Not doing those things for yourself costs you more than doing them. It's a new year and a perfect time to invest in you. Craig is a Confidence and Self-Esteem expert specializing in helping businesspeople and athletes get in THE ZONE. This is that state where everything works for you, your performance potential emerges and you create success effortlessly. Visit www.hypnosiswest.com for loads of free information on how to do that. |
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n Local glass artist Barbara Sanderson of Glass Gardens NW will be exhibiting at the annual Northwest Flower & Garden Show Feb 18-22 at the Washington State Convention Center.
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n Support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound at the BIG OSCAR BASH on Sunday, February 22nd. |
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n Turquoise Décor will be participating in the 21st annual North West Womens Show at the end of March. |