Something New, Something Fresh

The other day, when I was visiting one of my clients to re- do her house, I was sitting in her couch listening to her story on how she stood her ground to move on from her previous relationship. 10 years of sharing your life with someone is no joke. But… what if the love is not present anymore? What if the butterflies departed for a more colorful field? Some tend to swallow the pill and remain in a toxic relationship; one where you feel stuck with no room for growth. We depend and rely on the good old days and conform ourselves with nurturing what we pretend to be “right.” We lose ourselves in the process and when reality strikes, we do not even recognize who we have become in the first place. Scary, isn’t it? We hold on to words like “For better or for worse”, love prevails, time heals, etc. etc. etc. But what if, we have made the wrong choice in the first place? What if, we pretended to be deaf in hearing that loud siren warning us of the upcoming danger? We would rather be blindfolded and enter unguarded into a relation that actually could be disastrous for us, mentally, spiritually or even physically? And at the end of the crossroad, we wonder what went wrong? I believe your guardian angel would be like “smh” up there in heaven, “Told you so!” But after the harsh wake up call, you have to pick up the pieces and start anew and fresh. New beginnings, new goals, new you. But also new interiors. You see… we do not understand how a house can influence our mood. If you have a shabby interior, you might start rethinking on de- cluttering and organizing your house, since it also has a great influence on your habits and way of thinking. I always say to my clients, that there is such a great peace in entering an organized house, especially when you reach home after a hectic day at work or on the road. If you have aromatic candles like those of my exclusive “Welcome Home Designs & Pretty Candles - I Will Survive! Collection” in your home, you will be assured that your home will constantly smell fresh and clean, leaving you with that sense of relaxation. Yes, indeed! Your home is your sacred realm that you should guard from all the negative and embrace all the positive. My client wanted an overall makeover, especially the bedroom. Those memories are so gone now, so it is time to revamp. First, I told her to reorganize her closet by giving away stuff that she no longer wears. It is a way of letting go of the old, to create space for all the new possibilities. She wanted a dramatic change and we have chosen the colors grey as the neutral color together with teal and pumpkin yellow as the wow factor colors. All had to be changed. The lighting, wall colors, the doors, bed, everything! Since the space is not very spacious due to the floor to ceiling closet, I suggested to transform the existing doors into barn doors. It gives the room more space to work around. The lighting was very dull, so I have ordered this modern starry lighting that illuminates the room beautifully, making it roomier. As previously mentioned, the bed had to be changed! So, I asked my local furniture store to create an unique wing bed with the light taupe velvet fabric that I have chosen to stand out with the new darker taupe colored wall paint and rearranged the angle of the bed, by facing it across the door. It just looks so yummy now. Sophisticated, yet warm and cozy. Since we agreed to use silver lines in this bedroom, but yet the barn doors had black hardware fixtures, I balanced it with black curtain rods hanging these gorgeous teal sun block curtains combined with the light taupe sheers that made the look crisp and elegant. I love using sun blocking curtains, since here on our beautiful island of Curacao, the sun shines bright, like year-round Summer Season, and you might get some sleepy heads that want to enjoy some more rest during the weekends. I was shopping around for paintings that would stand out on the bare blank wall, so I got these posters and came to the idea of framing them according to my specific wishes. Clear glass to reflect the light, shiny black frame, again to coordinate with the black tones of the rods and barn door fixtures, and larger than the actual posters so each of the paintings could stand out. Beneath them, a narrow white console was introduced to the design to hold this beautiful vintage lamp together with these geometric candle holders. I have added some decorative pillows underneath to add some pizzazz. Before dressing up the chic bed, this unique carpet has been installed which has a baroque texture in the colors grey and teal. It makes the vintage off white nightstands say “Wow… here I am baby”! And now the final touch… Making this unique Queen size bed. I did not have teal colors yet in my “WHD - I Will Survive!” Comforter Collection, so we went with this choice, which certainly created the look that I was looking for. Lots of different sizes and textures of pillows combined with a bright pumpkin yellow rose cushion, throw and poof that elevated the overall look of this unique spectacular design. Definitely this bedroom got a whole bright spark of light and glamour to share beautiful moments for years to come. All fresh and new! About Nadin Nadin Benito is a well-known International Interior Designer at Welcome Home Designs, based on the beautiful island of Curacao where she has more than 20 years of design experience under her belt, as well as being a producer of her own TV series. During the illness and passing of both of her parents in less than 1 year apart, but also 3 of her close friends, Nadin founded Welcome Home Foundation - Curacao which is dedicated in designing Pro Bono for a good cause, namely for Cancer patients and Cancer survivors, who went through drastic life changes, by designing an area in their home/ location completely for free including all decorative items, to give them hope and help them gather much needed strength. “As an Interior Designer, I had the opportunity to experience the importance of creating beautiful places at several Cancer patients’ and survivor’s homes, in order to give them hope and also to contribute to their prompt recovery after all the chemotherapy and exhaust. By experiencing the passing of my own parents, 3 close friends and other close family members due to Cancer, it gave me the ultimate push to continue with this noble work... Designing for a good cause… An area where the Cancer patients feel welcome and at peace. Cancer does not take a break. But with this noble cause, we can ensure that hope for these patients and survivors won't either…” Visit Nadin at www.welcomehomefoundationcuracao.com .