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Journal: Live your best life

We think, live, and breathe luxury. With a talent for elegance and backgrounds in the home fashion and luxury real estate industries, we love connecting people and helping you live your best life. Marketing keeps us up at night. Sumptuous products dance in our heads. Bringing you the inspired people and places behind the dreams, inspires us.

5 Home Splurges Worth the Cost

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When it comes to your home, splurging on items that look better, last longer, and/or increase our personal comfort are often worth more than they cost.

Image Source: The Linen Tree

The idea of a splurge means different things to different people, depending, in great measure, on how much “discretionary income” you have to spend. But while the things we choose to splurge on are a matter of choice, there are some luxury creature comforts that can make nearly everyone happier

Luxury Linens 

A good French linen duvet set, which will set you back about $250, is an heirloom-quality splurge that will get softer as you use it, is strong enough to withstand time and will keep you cooler in summer and warmer in winter. The same is true for expensive Egyptian sheets, which wear better than their cheaper cousins and have a lovely, silken feel.

Turkish Cotton Towels

Aside from lending a luxurious, spa-like feel to your bathroom, these hefty towels are more absorbent and dry faster than ordinary towels. At $50 or $60 each, they are sure to increase your bath time enjoyment.

Wireless Speakers 

They will let you bring your favorite podcast into the kitchen while you cook, your soothing white noise to the bedroom nightstand or music to almost anywhere else you want to hear it in your home. The sleekest versions may cost up to $400, but their versatility and low profile make them a worthwhile splurge.

A Le Creuset French Oven

A classic among devoted cooks, these porcelain-coated Dutch ovens have incredible heat retention and hold up against acids and stains as you turn out delectable stews, soups and more. They can cost up to $350, but you may be able to reduce your splurge if you prowl a few good discount home goods stores.

A Teak Cutting Board 

If you love to cook, you should have had one years ago. At about $88, a good teak board is easier on knives, beautiful to look at and will last longer than any plastic cutting board.

What Is a Building Permit?

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Chances are, you’ve at least heard of building permits even if you haven’t applied for one yourself. Going by their name alone, you can probably guess the general gist of what these permits are used for. You might be surprised to find out that a lot of homeowners don’t really know that much about building permits, especially when it comes to details such as when you need to apply for one. It can actually get kind of confusing at times, so here’s a rundown of the basics of building permits the next time you’re considering a new project around the house.

What Are Building Permits?

As the name implies, a building permit is written permission granted by a municipality or other governing body that allows you to build something within the body’s jurisdiction. That’s a fancy way of saying that the city or other area you live in gave you permission to build within the city or county limits. This helps to ensure that the work you’re doing is safe and falls within the guidelines established by local building and construction codes. Since these codes can be different depending on the location where you live, building permits help to ensure that everything complies with all local regulations.

Applying for a Permit

In most areas, applying for a building permit is a pretty straightforward process. You fill out an application, prepare a site plan that details what you’ll be building, and schedule an appointment to have the plan approved. Once your permit is approved, you may need to schedule inspections of the works site as well to ensure that things are following the plan that was laid out in your application. Bear in mind that the specific process and any fees or other costs associated with the application process will vary depending on local zoning rules and other legal specifics of the area where you live.

Building Permit Changes

Once you have a building permit, you’re free to go ahead with your building project. What happens if your plans change during the building process, though? The answer depends on the nature of your change. Depending on the jurisdiction you’re in, you may be free to continue your project if the changes are relatively minor or still in the spirit of the original permit. If there are major deviations from what you specified in your original application, however, you’ll almost certainly need to either have your permit amended or apply for a new permit to cover the project as it now stands. Bear in mind that this depends heavily on the jurisdiction that issues the permit, so be sure to check and see how that affects your permit before making major changes to your project.

Do You Need a Permit?

One bit of good news is that not all construction projects require you to apply for a building permit. While this depends largely on the specifics of local building codes, you typically won’t need a building permit for small projects or projects that don’t make structural changes to your home. And you may not need one for some significant modifications, such as replacing plumbing or electrical wiring. As an example, you’re likely not going to need a building permit to paint your house or install a small fence around your backyard, though you may still need to clear those changes with your homeowner’s association if you’re in one. However, should you decide to add walls, convert your garage to a living room, or build a new exterior building, you will most likely need a permit depending on where you live.

2021 Design Trend: Home Offices

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Photo by Standsome Worklifestyle on Unsplash

Just as the pandemic had an impact on the types of property in demand, so too has it affected the design trends for 2021.

2020 was a big year for the home décor market, both inside and out, especially for those homeowners who chose not to move but instead invest in reimagining their lifestyle spaces. Design trends for 2021 are predicted to take their cue from the collective pulse and include a range of choices based on necessity through to creating a personal refuge.

Working from home has made the importance of creating a dedicated office space the number one priority for many homeowners. As a result, the idea of a home office has evolved from finding a quiet space in the house to creating a dedicated location that not only caters to a work area but work-related storage items too.

The affluent, often with multiple requirements, with both parents and children needing space, have looked to repurpose rooms within their homes. There is also a clear focus that many are looking to reconfigure their spaces, so there is a distinct separation between work and family areas.

Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

As the number of virtual meetings increased, so too has the desire to ensure that the environment showcased to other participants becomes more aesthetically pleasing. Backdrops have been redesigned to show artwork, clean lines, carefully curated furnishings, and finishing, and even new methods of lighting have been introduced to create softer more flattering images on the screen.

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

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Whether you are a cookie baker or a cookie eater, you are going to love this recipe from Cookies & Cups. Cinnamon roll flavor wrapped in the crispy goodness of a packable treat.

With the holidays in full force and baking a traditional past time, the scent of cinnamon wafting through the air is an absolute must. When it makes your house smell fab and melts in your mouth, sheltering in place becomes almost tolerable.

According to Shelly Jaronsky, “But these cookies, OH these cookies…they might be my best creation in a while. You guys are going to LOVE them.”

So read on for the scoop on these THICK, ultra-soft Cinnamon Roll Cookies with a slightly crisp edge, and melty, buttery centers, with ribbons of cinnamon sugar in every bite.”

You guys are going to love them! CLICK FOR RECIPE

Experiential Marketing: What is it and 7 Tips to Make It Work

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Even though you’ve seen plenty of examples of its execution, you may still wonder how can I do that?

Everyone loves a good story. And when that story happens to contain a captivating narrative and it’s shareable, let’s just say that’s the happy ending. Marketers tell stories through the messages and content they put out. But while we’re great at telling those stories, we don’t create them often enough.

Experiential marketing is not new. Google it and you’ll find entire summits and programs dedicated to the topic. Most marketers that use it say it yields significant results. Even though you’ve seen plenty of examples of experiential marketing execution, you may still wonder how can I do that?

Here are some basic tips to help you get rolling on your own experiential marketing initiatives.

First, What Is Experiential Marketing? According to an article in CMO magazine, experiential marketing is a mutually beneficial interaction between customer and brand in an authentically branded engagement.

What does this mean? Well, it’s authentic in the sense that it goes beyond simply sending one-way behind scenes messages to your target audience, digitally or otherwise. Instead, it requires creating a live opportunity to interact with your brand. As for the mutually beneficial nature, the consumer benefits by experiencing your brand in a tangible way and you benefit from sharing that content as well as every time they “repeat” your story.

Consider that 49% of attendees at branded events create videos while there, with a significant percentage sharing it on social media. Experiential campaigns tend to be event-centric, but more important than the type of event format, it’s the interaction that people have with your brand that is important.

What does that look like?

1) Take Advantage of Virtual Reality

Tools like virtual reality (VR) and 360° video are steadily on the rise. Get this. More than half of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that offers VR experiences — and when a video comes in a 360° format, viewers are more than 2X likely to watch it in full. The power of VR is that it provides an immersive experience in something beyond their current surroundings and it puts the viewer in control of that experience.

What are those experiences that your brand can create? Once you know the answer, turn it into a VR experience — here’s a great guide for doing so on a budget from CinematicVR — and bring it to the user.

2) Bring it to the User

One of the core tenets of inbound marketing is to avoid interrupting your audience. Instead, the best way to turn strangers into customers is to bring them to you.

Experiential marketing is no exception, which is why it’s often best executed where you know your audience is and engaging them there. Like Google did with its Impact Challenge campaign — installed large, interactive posters in places where people “had the time to make a difference” — like bus shelters, food trucks, and restaurants.

3) Transform the Space

Every year, the city of Austin, TX is taken over by an event known as SXSW: A self-described conference and collection of festivals. It’s chock full of elaborate experiences created to promote the work of the interactive, film, and music industries.

Although you most likely aren’t trying to market a hopeful box office hit, it shouldn’t stop you from thinking about transforming a space into a branded one. Think about collaborating with a local business to create a branded experience per your product or service. And don’t be afraid to think outside-of-the-box and use holidays and seasonality to your advantage.

4) Partner with Other Brands

When approaching another brand to create an experiential marketing experience, it’s probably not the best idea to just show up and take over. You need to provide some incentive and understanding as to how this partnership will benefit the proprietors.

That’s a fundamental piece of co-branding: ensure that you both stand to benefit from the partnership. Creating an experience together can accomplish that, but you’ve got to approach it strategically. When you begin to determine what the experience will look like, start thinking about what co-brands would compliment and enhance the experience for participants. You should each bring different elements to the table instead of competing efforts.

The same goes for the people you want to attend the event. A co-brand that already shares the same audience as you might not accomplish much. You want to reach a population that would be interested in your brand but are out of your circle of influence, your first-level network. Both you and your co-branding partner should stand to benefit from exposure to the other’s audience.

When you work with your co-branding partner, build an experience that allows the audience to engage with both of you.

5) Teach People Something

If you’re wondering what’s stopping people from learning more about your brand, it might be that they simply don’t understand it. Maybe that’s why 58% of customer experience experts say that simplifying products and processes should be a business priority.

When creating valuable, teachable content to your audience that helps them learn more about your product or service, consider building an experience that accomplishes the same thing. Facebook did this with its IQ Live event, wherein it created simulated real-life experiences and settings that brought the numbers to life. Its IQ Mart simulated the online shopper’s conversion path when using social media for buying decisions. 93% of participants felt the experience provided them with valuable insights on how to use Facebook for business.

6) Create Something Together

70% believe that creativity is a valuable quality to have, but only 44% believe they fully embody it. Maybe it’s up to us to put our own creativity toward allowing others to express theirs. That would be quite a remarkable and memorable experience to participate in.

7) Add a Digital Element

Make your event shareable by adding a #hashtag to it. A branded hashtag that people could use to attribute tweets and other social media posts from the engagement. People love to share their event experiences online. Give them an easy, creative way to attach your name to it. If you’re on Instagram, create a new location that people can attach to their photos, leaving little doubt about who created the experience.

Proceed to Offer the Unexpected

You should now have a good baseline for starting your experiential marketing initiatives. The scale of your budget only limits your ideas but many of the best ideas don’t require a lot of money, but rather a lot of good planning.

Have some fun and give your B2B or B2C audience every reason to not only show up but also stick around and share the experience. The only caveat is to make sure it makes sense for your business.

What are your best experiential marketing tips? Let us know in the comments below.

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7 Ways You Put Yourself in the Doghouse

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When was the last time you felt bad about something you did — or didn’t do? You can probably name something just about every day both in and out of the office. Work guilt has become an epidemic. And overworked equals underproductive, putting you in the Office Doghouse.

Stop the guilt and increase productivity by learning to recognize the ways we let guilt overtake our productivity.

Not taking breaks.

In a survey conducted by Staples, the results showed that 90% of employers say they encourage breaks. Yet 55% of employees feel like they can’t leave their desks to take one. That same survey revealed the majority of workers acknowledge taking a break would make them more productive. So what’s stopping them? Maybe a little encouragement. Employers need to play their part in creating a break-taking culture. Adding a well-equipped break room goes a long way in acknowledging that relieving stress throughout the workday is important

Asking for help.

Guilt, Susan Dominus, New York Times Magazine, wrote, is “that feeling that nags at you as you rush into the office, sweating, knowing that you are already late, or as you slip out for a ‘meeting’ that is, in fact, a much-needed haircut appointment.”

Lying about the time we need for self-care is a warning sign we feel guilty about needing that time for ourselves. And it doesn’t stop there.

Fear of shirking family responsibilities also discourages us from asking for help. Care.com conducted a survey of working moms in which 29% of respondents felt guilty about hiring someone to assist with things at home for fear of missing out on important moments. Simultaneously 79% of responders felt trying to keep up with home-life caused them to fall behind at work.

It makes sense that 75% of these same respondents saw an overall reduction in stress when they did hire outside help for home, family care, or work. Guilt has multiple sources and is not limited to working moms.

Comparing yourself to others.

Sometimes you just have to get off social media. It’s hard not to compare our own lives to the “perfect lives” of friends and acquaintances on Facebook. Maybe if we’d just done things a little differently, we too could have a perfect life. When we perceive someone is doing better, we feel guilty or inadequate in comparison.

Feeling guilty about how your performance stacks up to others is a waste of mental energy and time. Squandering precious minutes comparing yourself to others is only going to cause you more guilt and more stress.

Vacation Shame.

There are many reasons people don’t go on vacation. “Vacation Shaming” accounts for about half of workers feeling shame or guilt for taking time off work for fear of looking less dedicated than their peers.

But that logic is kind of counter-intuitive in that spending “less time at your desk forces you to waste less time.” Stepping away for a few minutes or a few days enhances productivity while you are at work.

You’re not busy enough.

How many times have you said you work best under pressure? Most of us do. People feel more motivated to complete tasks when they’re busy. However, being extremely busy can cause us to make more mistakes. But we offset our guilt over those mistakes with the fact we were so much more productive and simply move on. To the contrary, when we don’t have industriousness to fall back on, we punish ourselves for such mistakes.

Staying busy at work might seem like a tall order but there are ways to keep up your motivation and productivity when your work load drops.

You have action bias.

We’ve all had friends who we have upset at one time or another. When that happens, we know the best thing to do is to step away and give them space. Not giving them space is known as a “bias for action.” Business Dictionary defines action bias as the “propensity to act or decide without customary analysis or sufficient information.” The Ready? Fire! Aim method.

Some of us are wired to take action and get things done. So when we have to spend time on nonessential tasks like brainstorming, strategizing, or catching up on industry news, we freak out. Ironically, we are far more productive when taking the time to understand a project and plan it out rather than jumping right in.

office doghouse

The Zeigarnik Effect.

The Zeigarnik Effect according to Merriam-Webster is “the psychological tendency to remember an uncompleted task rather than a completed one.”

No matter how productive we’ve been, it seems like we dwell on the things we didn’t get done. When we go back to that task we approach it with renewed focus and problem solving; often achieving better results than if we had pushed through. Supporting the advice to step away for a bit, take a break, without feeling bad about it.

So the next time you have to step away from what you’re doing or ask for help, don’t feel guilty. You’ll be glad you did.

To read the complete article: 7 Ways You’re Letting Guilt Sabotage Your Work

How do you stop guilt from sabotaging your day? Share your tips in the comments below.

Our Favorite Haver Homes

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Smart homes might be the house of the future, but there is still a booming market for the homes of the past. Specifically, the mid-century modern “Haver Homes” that were once iconic to this desert city.

Ralph Haver, along with his family, created some of the most recognizable housing profiles associated with mid-century styles; featuring sloping roofs, large chimneys, and clerestory windows.

Scattered throughout the valley are clusters of these Haver Hoods where some original track homes still stand, but once they hit the market they are quick to be snatched up by design and history lovers. Below are some of our favorite Haver Homes to hit the recent market. Some need a little extra hard work and love to bring them back to their historical glory, while others have already been swooped up and modernized while preserving all those unique design elements (we can’t believe people lived here without centralized air!).

Scottsdale, $383,000, listing by AZArchitecture/Jarson & Jarson

Scottsdale, $390,000, listing by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Arizona Properties

Scottsdale, $390,000, listing by AZArchitecture/Jarson & Jarson

Paradise Valley, $482,250, listing by Launch Real Estate

Phoenix, $393,000, listing by HomeSmart

Phoenix, $340,000, listing by American Realty Brokers

Scottsdale, $359,000, listing by HomeSmart

Phoenix, $449,000, listing by Stunning Homes Realty

Phoenix, $332,500, listing by Realty Executives 

Phoenix, $325,000 listing by DPR Realty LLC

Phoenix, $419,000, listing by AZArchitecture/Jarson & Jarson

Phoenix, $391,500, listing by Realty Executives

Want to see more of these homes? Follow this link for the complete listing details!

3 Interior Design Tips for Hanging Quality Artwork

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Buying quality artwork is an investment. And like every investment you want it to maintain or increase its value; but more importantly, you want to enjoy it. With wall art, once you’ve elected to go forward with your selection, the big question becomes where and how do you hang it?

The color, composition, subject matter, and texture of the piece has the ability to bring your space to life when paired with other home or office furnishings. Whether you’re looking to hang one piece of quality artwork or a tasteful grouping, use these easy tips to confidently hang artwork like a pro!

How-to-properly-hang-your-art_with-blue-text

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Location, location, location

The rule of thumb is to hang the center of the art piece at 57 inches from the floor. This is typically eye level for the average height person and allows them to view the artwork comfortably. Of course, you will need to make exceptions to this rule if you have low ceilings (8 to 9 feet), oversized pieces, the furniture will be placed below the piece, or you and all your friends are extremely tall or small. In short, use your best judgment and ultimately what appeals to you.

From an overall size consideration, art should typically be about 1/2 to 2/3 the width of the sofa and be hung about 6-8″ above the back of the sofa or other large furniture piece. There is nothing more annoying than having to choose between looking at the person sitting on the sofa or admiring that gorgeous piece way above them.

A few quick comments about investment art. Never hang an expensive piece of art above or near a fireplace (if you are using that fireplace). Exposing your investment art collection to extreme temperatures may cause canvases to go slack or become overly taut, or brittle paint which will crack and curl. Keep paintings out of direct sunlight to prevent them from fading and watch the type of lighting you use. Opt for low wattage halogen bulbs that deflect damaging UV and infrared rays.

Step-by-step guide to hanging art:

  1. Measure 58” up from the floor mark with a pencil.
  2. Measure the height of the artwork, including the frame, and divide this number in half.
  3. Add the measurement in step 2 to the 57” pencil mark and make a new mark. This will be where the top of your artwork will rest.
  4. On the backside of the art piece you’ll find either a wire or two fasteners, one on each side of the frame. If a wire, pull it with one finger to get the wire at full tension, then measure this distance from the top of the wire to the top of the frame. If fasteners, measure to the inside of the opening.
  5. Subtract the measurement in step 4 from the pencil mark you made in step 3 and mark it with a pencil.
  6. With the wire, place your nail or hanger on the second pencil mark. If you’re using a nail with j-hook support, be sure that the bottom of the hook is resting on the pencil mark, not the nail.
  7. The fasteners will take an additional measurement and a little more finessing. Once you have the height in step 6, you’ll need to measure the width, inside fastener to inside fastener, divide this number in half, and marking out this distance on each end with a pencil mark.
  8. Go ahead and hammer according to step 6 or step 7 into the wall!

If you aren’t able to use the 57” rule due to a sofa, buffet, or another piece of furniture, you will want to omit step 1 and go to step 2. Instead of measuring from the floor up, you will hold the artwork in place and mark where the top of the artwork meets the wall. At this point, you’ll measure down from the mark instead of up! Typically, you will want to have the bottom of the piece about 6 inches of space between the object below and the artwork.

Size matters when displaying grouped art

Before you begin, treat your gallery grouping as one collection that incorporates a similar color palette or underlying theme. Begin with the largest piece first and anchor the grouping by placing towards the bottom and off-center of the wall space. If you are looking for a salon-style arrangement balance the large artwork by using a variety of differently sized works to create one visual experience. Consistently allow about 3 to 4 inches of space between each piece.

If a more architectural type display is to your liking, consistency and repetition are important. Think about hanging art in straight lines or in a grid. This is always a go-to for a conservative, sophisticated display.

Quality Artwork Templates
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Using a template isn’t cheating

If you are the cautious type and don’t like to leave anything to chance, use templates. Cut out craft paper or last year’s wrapping paper to cut out the sizes of the artwork and tape them to the wall. Test out multiple arrangements to see which you like best as well as save time and possibly a little frustration.

Looking for a few completer pieces to round out your grouping or a second opinion on just where and how to hang your investment pieces? Or perhaps your project is a large installation with walls just too high for you to reach. A professional art consultant or framer near you may be what you need. Visit LuxePros Find Luxury Pros for referral sources for your project needs.

Feature Image by Kimber Berry “Say it out loud and the universe will hear you,” 48″ x 72″, mixed media on canvas, available through Calvin Charles Gallery