Melody and Mike

Melody and Mike Design • Building • Renovating • DIY• Kitsap Peninsula, Washington State

What You Don’t Know About Backyard Studios 🌳Have you ever looked into your backyard and wondered how to use that space b...
08/01/2024

What You Don’t Know About Backyard Studios 🌳

Have you ever looked into your backyard and wondered how to use that space better? Have you ever wished for an extra room, a quiet place to escape, or a dedicated office space right at home? Let us introduce you to our backyard studios, a game-changer for optimizing outdoor space.

Backyard studios are versatile structures that can transform your backyard into an extension of your home. They offer the perfect solution for those who crave extra space without uprooting and moving to a larger house.

Gone are the days when backyard studios were just glorified storage sheds. Today, the creative possibilities for these rooms are virtually endless. A backyard studio can be anything you want it to be. Need a quiet, dedicated workspace? Convert it into a backyard home office. Are you longing for a private sanctuary to practice yoga or meditation? A garden room can be your peaceful retreat. Do you often have guests over and wish for an extra room? Or a workshop, maybe? Voila! Your backyard studio can double as a comfortable guest room.

A backyard studio can also be a fantastic space for your hobbies or kids’ activities. Have you always wanted your art studio? Consider it done. Need a place for your teenagers to hang out with friends? The backyard studio is a perfect solution. From a quiet reading nook to a bustling game room, the versatility of garden rooms means they can adapt to your changing needs over time.

Backyard studios are not just a great addition to your home in terms of functionality and aesthetics; they can also add significant value to your property. In today’s market, a well-designed backyard studio is viewed as a desirable feature by potential buyers, especially those who work from home or have multifaceted lifestyle needs.

Investing in a backyard studio adds another room to your home, increasing your property’s square footage and value. Realtors often highlight these garden rooms as a unique selling point, emphasizing their potential use as a home office, guest room, or hobby space.

Resurgence Of The Porch Swing 🤎The charming nature of a front porch swing is undeniable. It’s a piece of furniture that...
07/31/2024

Resurgence Of The Porch Swing 🤎

The charming nature of a front porch swing is undeniable.
It’s a piece of furniture that is so much more than its parts.
Representing both quiet solo respites sipping sweet tea with a good book and unhurried sunny afternoons with friends and loved ones, it is no wonder porch swings have stood the test of time.

While porch swings often invoke visions of classic Southern wrap around porches, they’ll always have a place in modern day homes around the world. Perhaps more than another outdoor furnishing, a well-designed swing still welcomes a sense of peace in our busy schedules and make our houses feel like home.

Photo: Theporchswingcompany

🤍🪵 Why White Oak Is (Still) Having Its MomentHardwood floors have been the standard for many decades now, but the materi...
04/16/2024

🤍🪵 Why White Oak Is (Still)
Having Its Moment

Hardwood floors have been the standard for many decades now, but the materials, stains, and finishes have shifted from glossy and dark to weathered and gray, and, lately, to a kind of barely finished pale oak with a low-sheen finish and wide, substantial planks.
If you’ve opened a shelter magazine, wandered through some virtual home tours, or dug deep into the interior design world on Instagram, you’ve likely noticed that wide-plank, pale oak floors are having a moment—a very long moment.

If you look at the houses in California that were built from the ’20s-’50s, all of them have narrow, red-oak floor boards, about 1 1/4- 2 inches wide.
That’s the material that was readily available, and that was the style.
But if you look at that floor closely, you’ll see a lot of seams. It gets pretty busy.

I think people are drawn to a quieter looking floor now, with wider planks, fewer seams, and a lighter finish with old-fashioned wax and low-gloss treatments that were popular back before they invented polyurethane. That’s been the trend for a while now.

Whether it be washed white oak or a cleaner rift white oak with closer grains and less yellow/orange tones, the look is now more natural and clean.

Photo: The Lifestyle Co

Is This the Year of the Bunk Bed? 🛏️🛏️Some Designers Think So.All of a sudden, bunk beds seem to be everywhere: You see ...
03/05/2024

Is This the Year of the Bunk Bed? 🛏️🛏️
Some Designers Think So.

All of a sudden, bunk beds seem to be everywhere:
You see them in upscale beach and ski homes, as well as boutique hotels like Freehand, Moxy and Proper.

And why not?
Stacked sleeping spaces have always been an efficient use of space, whether you’re making room for a growing family or entertaining a large crowd.
And now that they’re getting the designer treatment with thoughtful touches that make them feel almost luxurious, bunk rooms are more appealing than ever.

Photo: Plank & Pillow

Garden Spotlight: 🌿Espaliers🌿Espaliers are traditionally used to grow and ripen fruit against sheltered, heat radiating ...
03/04/2024

Garden Spotlight: 🌿Espaliers🌿

Espaliers are traditionally used to grow and ripen fruit against sheltered, heat radiating walls.
In fact, many plants and climbers are suitable to espalier and train over wires against walls.
They make lovely screens in contrast to hard surfaces, as well as points of interest covering garages, sheds, retaining walls, terraces, and fences. You can train them in a pattern, or cover the entire wall.

Chinese Star Jasmine is one of the best climbers to 'espalier' - it is evergreen, with fragrant flowers in summer and can be easily trained into any shape created by the underlying wirework framework.

Photo: Parsley & Pom Pom’s

Color Drenching Is the Latest Must-Try Paint Trend 🖌️This cost-effective, vibrant technique lets homeowners put their fa...
02/09/2024

Color Drenching Is the Latest Must-Try Paint Trend 🖌️

This cost-effective, vibrant technique lets homeowners put their favorite shades (and personalities!) on display.

Creamy white walls, earthy taupes, and organic beige tones have long stood the test of time in our homes.
These organic palettes aren't going anywhere soon, but a new trend
“color drenching” is pressing pause on pale hues and embracing unapologetic saturation, instead.

This trend involves painting every surface—walls, ceiling, baseboards, trim, doors—and saturating a space with a single color.
This creates an immersive experience that has a wow factor all on its own.

Best of all, color drenching puts you in the driver's seat.
You can opt for a hue that's inky and rich—like emerald green, orange, or magenta—or you can try a color with a bit less punch, such as soft blue or creamy yellow.
You can even control the saturation by choosing how much and where to apply the color.
Whatever route you take, the technique of applying the same hue throughout your space instantly adds depth, dimension, and visual interest.

Interior designers have observed a notable uptick in more contemporary, maximalist aesthetics, and color drenching falls right in line with this trajectory.
After years of minimalist design dominating the landscape, people are craving personality and energy in their homes and want to experience vivid, stimulating environments.
There's a certain vibrancy and playfulness that this trend brings to any space instantly, injecting a room with character.
Color drenching is actually a more cost effective way to get that maximalist look.
I think we are seeing this colorful trend gain momentum because it is a super inexpensive way to make a huge statement.
It looks custom, thought out, and expensive.
Wallpapering a dining room in a bright grasscloth could cost over $15,000—but you can get a similar feel with color drenching.

Choose a Color That Really Speaks to You
There's no point in choosing a color that doesn't make you say "wow!" every time you enter the room.
With that said, pick a hue that resonates with you and makes you feel good. Select a color that you truly love, and be sure to compare it against any furniture and décor that will exist in that space.

Xoxo M&M

Via: Martha Stewart

🤍Are white appliances coming back? ……….I say YES!!I’ve never quite understood why people on house-hunting shows go throu...
02/07/2024

🤍Are white appliances coming back? ……….I say YES!!

I’ve never quite understood why people on house-hunting shows go through a house, talk about how much they like it, then get to the kitchen, pause and say, “oh no, it doesn’t have stainless steel appliances.”
I want to jump through the screen, shake them, and say,
“YOU CAN ADD THEM!”
I know, not everyone may share my affinity for DIY-ing all the things.
Luckily for homes everywhere, however, white appliances are back in a big way and I LOVE it!
Want proof? I’ve got it!

There are so many reasons for you to love white appliances.
To me, stainless steel can come across a bit cold and commercial, but also ridiculously hard to clean.
White appliances don’t get fingerprints. They just wipe down!
On top of all that, they are bright and crisp and clean looking.

White appliances are not just for all-white kitchens.
If you are a fan of bold colored cabinets, these will work for you.
They provide some nice contrast and a bit of calm background for your kitchen cabinets to be the star.

Are White Appliances Cheaper Than Stainless Steel?
Sometimes they are cheaper, and sometimes they aren’t.
It depends on the manufacturer and what features you are purchasing.
Modern white appliances have all the same bells and whistles that their steel counterparts hold and cost can be the same.

Ready to make the leap to team white appliances?
What do you guys think? Are you team white appliances or are you team stainless steel? Let me know in the comments!

Photo: GE

🧺THE RISE OF THE LAUNDRY ROOM The laundry room has seen significant changes over the years. What used to be a spot that ...
01/30/2024

🧺THE RISE OF THE LAUNDRY ROOM

The laundry room has seen significant changes over the years.
What used to be a spot that was shut away and ignored until it was time for chores is now a multifunctional space designed to be both beautiful and efficient.

According to the National Association of Home Builder’s 2022 edition of the What Home Buyers Really Want report, an overwhelming 91 percent of all buyers want a laundry room included in their home – more than any other home or community feature.
Of those, 54 percent consider it to be essential.
It is the highest-ranking feature in the category, and 37 percent rank them desirable.
With statistics like that, it’s safe to say the laundry room should no longer be an afterthought in the home.

Where Laundry Room Design is Heading?

Only time will tell, but here are a few predictions.
🧺Laundry appliances will be smarter and quieter.
Smart home technology has already made a splash in the laundry room, and we expect that it will be even more so in the coming year as appliance manufacturers continue to find innovative ways to integrate purposeful technology to make our lives easier.
🧺Another prediction is that laundry space is going to merge with other areas of the home.
This stems from more families craving simplicity, where they don’t necessarily want more space; they just want the most functionality from the space they have.
In fact, we are already seeing this in-home design with the laundry room/mudroom combo or laundry rooms with pet washing areas.

I think it is safe to say that the laundry room is no longer an afterthought within the home.

Photo: Plank and Pillow

Would you like to try this?
01/25/2024

Would you like to try this?

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