Designs by Shoshana

TV Appearances

69 News At Sunrise Regular

‘Spring Up’ Your Homes Foyer-Tomorrow On TV

Tomorrow at 8:50 am on 69 News at Sunrise Shosh will be showing viewers how to freshen up and organize an entryway.  She will have the list of products she recommends, tips and of course steps for a fun and easy DIY project after the show on this website.

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Trends In Tile For Your Home

Watch Shosh and Eve dish about hot tiles people are using in their homes!

If you watched my interior design segment today on 69 News At Sunrise with Eve Tannery (here is the video link), you know how much I think about tile.  Todays tile market is showing everything from shimmer and shine, to more of a textured, wood, and concrete look.

If you are planning on adding or changing out a back splash in your kitchen, or renovating your bathroom, see below for some ideas on tiles you might want to use!

Large Rectangular Tiles

I love using 12″ x 24″ tiles!  I love the rectangular shape, and BIG plus is that there is less grout lines. You can have fun with this tile because its shape can be installed randomly like how wood is laid on the floor ; or it can be stacked either length wise  or width wise!

This tile: Potere Silk Stone in Gray

Check this tile out at Creative Tile in Allentown

Sample of randomly laying tile……..

Designed by Blaze Makoid Architecture

Sample of stacking rectangular tile……

Designed by John Lum Architecture, Inc.

Pebbles

I cannot think of attaining a more spa feel than to have pebbles beneath me as I shower!  You can get them in so many colors, and they can come cut so they are flat!  They typically come in sheets that can be interlocked.  You can also use the pebbles on a wall or as part of your backsplash to bring in a natural feel.  I love the idea of using it on the back of a shower wall cascading downward!

This tile: Island Stone Petite Pebble Tile in Antique Timor White (12" sq interlocking tile)

Check this tile out at Creative Tile in Allentown

Designed by Orange Coast Interior Design

Glass Tile

Do you love sparkle! Do you love shine!  Or is your love the look of sea glass?  Glass tile is beautiful. There is much to choose from in shape, color and look.  You can also find them already coordinated with stone and metal!  Some glass tile can be costly when bought in large amounts.  Try using it as an accent within a kitchen back splash, surrounding it with a natural or porcelain tile above and below it.  Or have it cascading down the center of your back shower wall; or used behind a bathroom vanity as a back splash.

The first time I saw this tile I was in an airport bathroom.  It looked soft and had shades in it that reminded me of the sea shore.

This tile: Sonoma Jura Silk 1"x4"

Check this tile out at Creative Tile in Allentown

Designed by Synthesis Design Inc.

This glass tile showcases a very hot chevron pattern.  It also mixes glass with stone.

This tile: Mandala Avani in Hemp color

Check this tile out at Creative Tile in Allentown

This tile makes a great focal point over a kitchen stove!  It is shown here with tumbled stone in a subway shape.

Designed by Love Your Room

Crushed glass is one of those details that, up close, dazzles as part of any tile arrangement!

This tile: Sonoma MoSupremaNOW 1x1 pieces in La Crema Blend

Check this tile out at Creative Tile in Allentown

A great spot to use it could be above a stove.

Designed by Rob Kane – Kitchen Interiors Inc.

Hardwood Look

Elizabeth Reich

TIPS

-Natural stones need to be sealed.  Porcelain tiles do not need to be sealed.

-If you are new at using tile, and embarking on a large project, like a bathroom remodel,  find a tile that has a bunch of choices in sizes, and a compatible bull nose.  You can always add some glass or metal focal point, to it.

-Please remember that choosing the right grout color is super important.  Always check with your professional because you do not want your grout lines to be the main attraction-let your tile shine!!

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Wednesday: Shosh Talks Tile On TV

This Wednesday Shosh will be discussing tile on 69 News at Sunrise!  Are you thinking about renovating a kitchen back splash or bathroom?  She will show popular tile options, new options that are really cool, and how you can use it all, even on a budget!  Please tune in Wednesday at 8:40 am!  If you miss it, we will post it on our loveyourroom website after the TV segment airs.

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Paint Color Choices As Seen On TV

Today Shosh dished tips on choosing paint colors on 69 News at Sunrise.

See it HERE!

If you are looking for the colors she showed as examples of paints she digs, here they are!

RED

I usually say to clients ‘now let’s take a deep breathe as your color goes on the wall.’  You have to be brave to use a red.  Red is a color that evokes a lot of emotion.  It represents love and hate.  It brings about energy and excitement.  Its used in restaurants a lot because of this.  It looks great in low lit rooms.  My tip is to use it in the dining room, powder room, and family room; and NOT to use it in the bedroom or any space that gets a lot of light.  Also stick with a red that pulls a blue or orange tint in it.

I am a big fan of Sherwin William’s Flower Pot.  It has a rustic touch to it, with a lot of orange brown to it. I have used it in multiple projects for contemporary, rustic and traditional rooms.  Here is how it looks in a family room with tall walls.

YELLOW

Yellow is a tricky color to use because although it is considered cheerful, it can be the biggest offender of irritants due to the high amount of light that’s reflected.  It can cause headaches, leading to fatigue.  It can create feelings of frustration and anger if used in it primary form in heavy doses.

But that does not mean you should cross it off your list.  By using a shade like this Benjamin Moore Hawthorne Yellow, you have toned down the irritant but kept the cheeriness.

Here is a beautiful bedroom in Hawthorne Yellow.  And a cheery foyer to give guests a warm yellow hug.

Yellows can either have cool or warm undertones.  If looking for a cool yellow, try one that has greenish undertones, or if looking for a warm yellow, try one that has reddish or orange undertones and get a golden look.

GRAY

Is gray paint depressing and dull-NO WAY! It has become a trend to use this  cool color as a neutral these days.  It can provide a relaxing vibe and set off artwork.  The key is choosing the correct gray to get the look you want.  Gullwing Gray by Benjamin Moore is one of my favorite paint colors because it has blue undertones to give any room a brighter feel.  Here it is on the walls in this two story family room.

Blue and green tones are said to bring heart rate down; be calming.  Bedrooms and bathrooms are great spaces to use gray toned versions of these (I like Beach Glass by Benjamin Moore and Guilford Green also by Benjamin Moore).

PURPLE

Looking for a chic and soft purple tone?  Try Benjamin Moore Mauve Desert.  Use it in a living room, powder room, or bedroom with tons of silvery tones and big mongolian lamb pillows for the ultimate hollywood-esque feeling!  Here is an example of how we used it in a kitchen of an urban loft!  Why not!!

TIP: Don’t overdue your color or your eyes will not be able to rest.  You need ‘breathers’ in between spaces with big color.  A neutral that is restful.  Here are my picks:

A neutral I like to use as a ‘breather’ for golden tones, deep reds, and greens, is Sherwin William’s Believable Buff.  It is warm.

A neutral I like to use with cool colors like grays, pale blues, yellows, and light greens, is Benjamin Moore’s Litchfield Gray.

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Tomorrow On TV: Seven Tips For A Great Guest Bedroom

Looking for some easy ways to turn up the ‘welcome’ in your guest bedroom?

Tomorrow at 8:50 am Shosh will share essential tips on how to create a cozy guest room on WFMZ TV 69 News at Sunrise.  This topic is so timely because the holidays are just around the corner.  If you will be hosting out of town guests then do not miss this TV segment!

If you missed the show, or just want to review it again, Shosh will have her top tips on her DIY blog right after the show, and she will add the news show link the following day (Thursday) when it is available.

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Favorite Quick Fix Decorating-Watch TV Video

It felt great to be back on the 69 News at Sunrise morning TV show.  I want to thank Eve Tannery and the stunningly gorgeous crew at the station for making my first day back, after a two month hiatus, easy!   I also want to thank LYR’s Sara Jane Bub and Jenna Brown for helping me prepare for the segment.  Please watch it for some informative decorating quickies!

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Shosh Talks Rugs on 69 News At Sunrise

Did you get to see the cute rugs from today’s 69 News at Sunrise Segment?  If not, CLICK HERE to see it.  Eve and I had SO much fun, on and off the air.  One hiccup though-Just minutes before the live show began I was running into the studio with a soaking wet iphone.  Can you believe I dropped it in the toilet!  I am now officially the punch line of my own joke!

Thank goodness for the AppleCare Protection Plan.  My big tip for the day is to ‘Get the plan man!’

Related Post- See where you can get the rugs from the show, and a rundown of the tips I spoke about.  The RIGHT Rug For Foyers & Dining Rms.

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Six Home Staging Musts!

Getting ready to sell your home?  If you are reading this because you want to stage your place before it goes on the market, then you are very smart!

What is STAGING?

Staging means more than cleaning your home top to bottom and making minor repairs like fixing those cracked tiles.  Its all about setting your home up to flaunt its best features, inside and out. It helps to have a professional stager or realtor give you tips so you know where to make changes that will enhance your home’s beauty.  Here is a list of some home staging tips that should not be overlooked:

FIRST know who you are staging for -

A real estate agent will tell you about your local housing market so you list it during a seller’s market, when there will be more competition among buyers for your home.  Make sure you know the demographic of your optimum buyer.  Staging is a great opportunity to showcase its best features and make a lasting impression for that SPECIFIC buyer;  Create a home ‘they’ can envision living in.  This give you more chance to lead to a quick sell at your asking price!

Shosh’s Top 6 Staging Musts

1. De-clutter Unseen Spaces. Potential buyers will look inside closets and cabinets to see how much hidden storage there is.  Even in the bathroom, hide all your personal items in storage containers that look smart on the outside.

2. Keep windows clear and clean. Take down heavy window treatments and out of date shades and blinds to bring in natural light and show the view.

3. Make the most of architectural details. Show off unique focal points.  Do not over decorate your fireplace and do not overstuff your built ins with books and knick knacks.  Keep them both simple and elegant.

4. De-Personalize Your Home. Bring down family photos from the walls, pack up displayed collections, and tone down ‘themed’ rooms.

5. Neutralize walls. Take down dated wallpaper and paint over bold colors with a non-offending warm neutral shade like Benjamin Moore’s Marble Canyon.  Stay away from white walls because it can appear cold and life less.

6. Zap Empty Spaces. Give every room in your home purpose.   Even an open loft area or empty space in an unfinished basement can become a reading nook by adding a small comfy chair, lamp and an accent table.  You want buyers to visually see how to take advantage of your space.

Want to know more?  Watch Shoshana talk about how to get home buyers attention, with Eve Tannery on WFMZ 69 News at Sunrise CLICK HERE

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Shosh Talks Home Staging On TV tomorrow

It has been a while but Shosh will be back on WFMZ-TV 69 News at Sunrise tomorrow at 8:40 am.  With spring right around the corner, and this crazy warmer weather, she will share her Top 6 Home Staging Tips!  If you are putting your home on the market, tune in!!

For more info read an article on home staging Shosh recently wrote for the Hakol.  CLICK HERE.

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A Downtown Loft Apartment Bldg Goes Chic

When this downtown Allentown brick warehouse building was converted to loft style apartments my team and I were hired to ‘glam up’ the lobby, two empty model apartments, along with the main hallway, and a community atrium- to help potential tenants visualize how they could live there.  Loft living can be very cool if designed right.  You have high ceilings, great concrete floors and exposed pipes to work with.  But you have to worry that the spaces do not end up looking cold and uninviting.

Our goal was to create a warm, contemporary urban vibe for young hip professionals in this urban area.  We got to work right away.  Once our design plan was approved we had three weeks to complete the project on a budget.  Our paint crew rolled on the colors while SJ and I, in baseball caps and sneakers, purchased, assembled and placed all the furniture and decor.  And with some help from a contractor from heaven, all of our wishes came true (minus the broken mirrors and stressed out moments)!!

THE LOBBY

To dramatize the unique curves of the lobby’s walls we painted stripes in two shades of grey to keep it serene and fresh.

I fell madly in love with a rockin’ red orange paint color and used it to dramatize the lobby’s fun niches.  It is very unexpected for such a clean gray palette.

HALLWAY TO MODEL APARTMENTS

From the lobby, prospective renters take the elevator up to the hallway where the model apartments are.  We wanted to create a ‘wow’ moment as soon as the elevator doors opened up.  To do this, we focused on the main wall directly across.  Finding inspiration in this contemporary large chocolate and cream wallpaper, we had it glued on, then wrapped the rockin’ red orange paint color all around it, giving it a big bold dose of personality.

THE UPTOWN MODEL APARTMENT

The Uptown model apartment is a rich blend of bold color and shiny finishes.  A place for a young sophisticated executive to host after work happy hours and .  We brought in that red orange, along with deep grays, to play off the shimmering finishes and exposed pipes.  Warm deep colors can bring down the size of tall walls, to make room feel comfortable.  To keep the space from feeling overwhelmed with color we broke it up with some white walls in between.

BEFORE

To take advantage of the main space we floated a good amount of seating in the center of the room, utilizing as much floor space as possible that would other wise be unused.  Using light colored upholstery and a thin metal framed coffee table keeps the loft space feeling open and airy.   The oversized shiny chandelier above not only offers greater brightness when natural is limited, but offers an industrial chic addition, that now compliments the exposed piping.  We also used a buffet as the media center to get more storage out of it.

The foyer leading into the apartment is long and narrow, so to give it strong interest, we used horizontal stripes of the same paint color but in two different finishes- matte and semi gloss.  The silver framed mirrors grouped together become art work, but do not take away from the clean lines of the paint stripes.  Now it feels like its own fun space to have a conversation in.

There is something so soothing and happy about a light shade of purple.  Maybe that is why it is so popular these days.  We used a beautiful shade of it in the kitchen area to distinguish it from the rest of the bold palette.  We also introduced a tall piece of furniture in the small alcove, taking advantage of more storage using a ready made piece.

In these loft apartments there is a wall that divides two sides of a bedroom.  In order to help a perspective renter visualize how to use these rooms, we created a home office and reading lounge on one side.  We changed up the paint color to keep it relaxing, but still used bits of the red-orange in accents to tie it to the colors used in the living room.  The paper mache ceiling fixtures are my favorite and they were the most stressful.  When I ordered them no one could tell me how they hung from the ceiling.  When I opened the box and found a long wire and metal links I was relieved.

On the other side of the dividing wall is where we placed the bed.  The headboard literally came in the day the project had to be completed.  Tracking it became a daily ritual, but it was worth it.  The elephant colored leather adds the luxuriousness to this urban pad.

THE PRODIGY MODEL APARTMENT

The Prodigy model apartment has some unique spaces and niches so our goal was to showcase all of them, and create a warm, classic urban oasis.  Through a mix of materials and finishes, make this a home for relaxing and recharging.  The living room is the first space you enter when you open the apartment door.  The room is longer in width than depth, so we lightened up the walls to brighten up the space and instead, added bold color to the furniture and accents.  To get this room right I spent a lot of time plopped in the center of this room in the ‘thinking mans’ position.

Super cool space with such unique floor plan!  We had to be creative with it, and make it functional!!  First up, create stairs!

This was the most intriguing space that really needed to be furnished to visualize how great it was!  Like the other apartment, there is a dividing wall in this space so we treated one side as the bedroom and the other as a home office and library.  We took advantage of the upper niche which was four feet off the ground and five feet deep.  We created our very own staircase leading up to it.  Everyone that walks into this space loves to try out the staircase.  We used a bold golden yellow on the back brick walls to give it depth and importance.   This is a really great loft area!

On the bedroom side of the dividing wall we made the bed a focal point by placing it on the tall wall.  This new layout also gave it more privacy and left the rest of the space open for more furniture if you wanted a sitting area.

The bedding was a clearance find, and instead of using traditional table lamps, we placed utilitarian desk lamps that bring in that loft industrial vibe.

This apartment has a ton of natural light seeping down a hallway from the bedroom to the bathroom.  I was really attracted to this hallway. I wanted to soften the light but not take away from the view of downtown Allentown.  The windows were super tall so custom drapes was my top choice.  But I had less than a week so I bought ready made white grommet drapes, and had a sewer attach a limited supply of this silky orange fabric to the bottom to create a longer drape.   They turned out fabulous!

Another long hallway to the washer/dryer and bathroom made for an interesting new function.  To show possible renters how you could use the space, we set up a vanity station.

THE ATRIUM

BEFORE

The four story Atrium area is such a unique space, and needed to be spotlighted, so with our hot red-orange paint, Gerry and his team of painters spiced up the back brick wall.  It was amazing to watch them, four stories up on scaffolding, with cans of very bright paint rocking back and forth in their hands; yet painting steady as an arrow.  We then added three contemporary canvas art pieces vertically down the center to give it big colorful interest.

For more information on this apartment building located in downtown Allentown PA CLICK HERE.

CLICK HERE to see Shoshana’s TV interview about this!!!

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