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Fall Home Decor

by Shalice Noel

1 Arch brass floor lamp / 2 Modular sofa / 3 Art / 4 Throw blanket / 5 Bouclé Pillow Balls / 6 Swivel Chair / 7 Scented Candle / 8 Ceramic Vase / 9 Faux Florals / 10 Chesterfield Sofa

It’s like it switched to pumpkin and scented candle season overnight! Here are some of my favorite home fall decor finds like my modular couch that surprisingly works in our California spanish, classic arch lamp and faux florals to warm up a space. Which is your favorite?

Home is a Place

by Shalice Noel

Since moving last week, I realized home is a physical place. Read about that post here. I agree, home is where your immediate family is, but it is also a physical place that feels like home. Being back at our old stomping grounds in Los Angeles feels familiar with many good memories. We are thrilled to be back, including our kids who are begging to go to Lido and Laguna Beach.

We also learned that a place can bring our your worst and best. For us, California brings out our best. Maybe it’s the perennial sun, the business parters, or the friends we left here? All reasons that make this location feel more familiar. Despite the tax implications of this move, home brings out our best.

Are you home? Do you agree, home is a physical place and some places just feel more like home?

Chat soon,

Shalice

Sneak peek of our home

by Shalice Noel

Many of you asked to see our new home. Here are some snapshots of our favorite spaces from the large closet to moody primary bedroom. I linked the exact items below that you find in our rooms. How cool is this paint color? I know many of you will ask, the color is SW “Iron Ore” 25% less. The primary bedroom is one of my favorites. Which is your favorite room?

Happy Friday!

Table Lamp // Modular Sofa // Stack Art // Chandelier // Medallion // Round Vase only $35! // Clay vase // Duvet cover // Sheets // Euro pillows // Bolster pillow

My Speed Queen Review

by Shalice Noel

I absolutely adore my washer, and let me tell you why.

Over the years, I’ve tried various brands and several front loaders, which often ended up with unpleasant odors after prolonged use and forgetting to leave the doors open. When my family and I moved into our first house in Georgia two years ago, I found myself in need of a new washer and dryer. Despite hearing recommendations for different brands, I was repeatedly advised to consider a Speed Queen. Unfortunately, they were in high demand, and many distributors were sold out with lengthy waiting lists. As a busy mom of five, waiting six months for a washer and dryer simply wasn’t feasible. So, I reluctantly opted for an LG front loader, which never quite met my expectations in terms of cleaning effectiveness. Needless to say, I was thrilled to replace it.

Then came the TC5 top loader from Speed Queen. With its 30-minute wash option, heavy-duty performance, absence of odors, and even earning praise from Levi for getting out tough stains, I became an instant fan.

I did encounter one hiccup the week we moved in when I overloaded the washer with my duvet cover, causing water to spill all over the floor and tripping the electrical line. After Reid fixed the issue and we reset the wires in the basement, my Speed Queen was back to running smoothly.

Established in 1908 in Ripon, WI, Speed Queen, owned by Alliance Laundry Systems LLC, won me over with its claim that their washers last 25 years. Renowned for their durability, the brand attributes this to “ergonomic motors, suspension systems, and the use of only the best materials designed to withstand wear, tear, and abuse.”

More about our semi-custom home that we built in Georgia HERE.

Which one did you get?

Speed Queen TC5 Classic top load

Model:TC5003WN

SKU:6505836

Does the lid lock?

No, the lid doesn’t lock.

Pros

One significant advantage is the quick turnaround time for clean clothes, typically around 30 minutes! Many of my readers have praised the quality of these commercial washers and dryers. Some even mentioned that they work for warranty companies and seldom receive calls regarding Speed Queens, highlighting their reliability.

Cons

It can get quite loud during operation, so I make sure to close the laundry room door.

What do you think, have you tried a Speed Queen?

With all the variety of tile choices nowadays, there is no surprise that picking one is overwhelming. I mean, where do you start? First, make a list of what you want.  For example, I knew that I wanted black and white checkerboard in a diamond pattern, herringbone, and a master bath inspired by Alys Beach. Keeping these images in mind, we scoured the internet for tile.  Read on for our tips and tricks to make it easier for you!

What’s the style you are looking for? How much do you spend?

Black and white tile is no easy find.

Like I mentioned, I’ve been envious of all black and white checkerboard spaces for some time now.  It’s a classic look when done right, but finding the right tile is harder than it looks.  Be cautious.  Some blogs make it look simple, but they end up laboriously custom cutting each tile or using fake peal and stick (that looks great in photos but awful in real life).  Our limitation was our tile had to be a certain thickness to avoid a silly floor transition.  This voided the options for marble and other natural stone tile.  We finally found this black and white tile from Floor and Décor.  Boom!  The triangle cut tile wasn’t my first choice, but using grey grout tied it all together and I absolutely love it, and it wasn’t a budget killer.  It reminds me of The Great Gatsby!

For the master bathroom, we loved the interior design of homes in Alys Beach, Florida.  We wanted neutral and natural looking tile.  The tile we found has specks of white fossils embedded in the surface much like the Alys Beach homes showcase.  The tiles come in large sizes and this makes for easier installation.  We liked the design potential to offset the large-scale tile with an accent wall of mosaic tile.  As for budget, the mosaic white marble tile was a budget buster, so we limited it and paired it with the large scale on budget tile to balance out the cost.  I joke that I like to “rob Peter to pay Paul.” This is Reid and my favorite room in the house.

The powder room is tiny so I splurged on a wall mounted custom marble sink, I found on Etsy.  The sink came and we were inspired by the multi tones of the natural marble.  We happened upon a tile called Country Beige Tumbled Travertine Tile and it was on clearance at Floor and Décor.  I was hesitant because the name “country” threw me off, but we bought a sample to bring home anyway.  The beige tone matched the sink perfectly.  The tile edges are tumbled so we juxtaposed the irregular edge with a modern vertical stack pattern on the shower walls and an old-world herringbone pattern on the floor.  I love it!

The kid’s bathrooms were a simple strategy.  Go way under budget yet timeless style.  Subway tile is the way to go.  We splurged with marble hexagon on the shower floor, but did a basic white hexagon on the bathroom floor.  It was all fun and fresh!

The boy’s bathroom is small so we used black hexagon flooring and white subway tile shower walls.  We used remnant vanity counters in both bathrooms to reduce cost.

The laundry room, aka the hardest working room in the house, has the tile same checkerboard pattern as the foyer for a lux look. Lots of modern splash for what could’ve been a very utilitarian space. We ended up using the same countertop as the girl’s bathroom.  I love that it has a window to the street and lots of natural light. This is a major upgrade from my last house which had a tiny dark room to do 7 people’s laundry.

Here are some tips below that we learned in the process of picking tile.

#1 Tip:  Do play with tile patterns in unexpected ways.

#2 Tip:  We played it safe with grout choices and went with what the retailer recommended.  Also, when mixing different tiles in a room, use the same grout color throughout.

#3 Tip:  Budget buy doesn’t mean short on style. Use subway tile in a vertical pattern, or better yet, use a pearl liner trim! (images via Pinterest)

#4 Tip:  Don’t overspend on tile.  You can get very stylish tiles between $5-$10 SF. 

Tile we chose

White hexagon tile

Foyer Black and white tile

Boys bathroom hexagon floor tile

Boys subway tile for the wall

Girls bathroom shower floor marble hexagon

Girls bathroom white hexagon floor

Master bathroom floor tile in running board

Master bathroom shower floor

Laundry room tile

Advice on paint colors

by Shalice Noel
Dover white and Iron Ore

We went with “Dover White”

When building a new house, it is exciting to be able to pick the exterior colors.  But the pressure is on.  We will guide you through our exterior paint and finish selections. 

First things first, drive around your area.  Take note of what appeals to you.  Snap a picture of inspirational homes you see while driving or walking the neighborhoods.  We recommend seeing these paint colors in person verses online images.  Daylight and shadows can make a huge difference in paint colors only visible in person. Also, if the house is north or south facing can affect the color. When investigating paint colors, make a spreadsheet of everything that would need a color.  See below for a template.

Home Color Inspiration
  Window TrimWindow SashDoorsSidingGarageGutters / Downspouts
House AddressColor      
House AddressColor      
House AddressColor      
House AddressColor      

As you record what you see in detail, keep in mind the rule of three.  Aesthetically, the exterior should only have 2 – 3 colors.  The white farmhouse has dominated Georgia neighborhoods, so we decided to veer towards a creamier pallet.  We were also inspired on a modern take on the white and black look.  You’ll see what I mean by the photos.

With the rule of 3 colors or less, decide which are your favorite combinations.  Also consider the undertones of each color.  We also chose antique copper, exterior light fixtures, and the Dover White and Iron Ore is the perfect colors to compliment. Here is a list of our paint selections:

Our Home Selections
  Window TrimWindow SashDoorsSidingGarageGutters / Downspouts
House AddressColorDover WhiteDover WhiteIron OreDover WhiteDover WhiteDover White

As for interiors, we went with Snowbound for the trim and Pure White for the walls. More on the interior later!

Read more about our move to Georgia HERE.

Read more about the realities of a semi custom build and our house selections HERE.

What do you think? Are you bold enough to go with a black and white combination?

Looking for a new home can be both a stressful ordeal and an opportunity to express your creativity. Over the past decade, we’ve bought and sold many homes, but this will be our first time embarking on a semi-custom new build.

Here are some tips for navigating the process of finding a new build:

  1. Research: Begin by scouring online listings daily. Location is key for us—we desired a property with a couple of acres, no HOA fees, and low property taxes. Filtering our searches based on these criteria was essential. Make sure to research property taxes in your state to find the best rates. As artists, we opted against an HOA to avoid extra costs.
  2. Utilize Filters: Use search engine filters to narrow down your options to include only new builds. In our experience, these homes are often overlooked by the public, resulting in less competition and rarely paying over asking price.
  3. Timing Matters: Look for homes that show pictures of the property fully framed or recently sheet rocked. This indicates that the builder will likely finish the home within a few months. Timing is crucial—aim to get in before the builder finalizes finishes. We were fortunate to customize our home’s kitchen, tile selections, counters, laundry room layout, school room loft details, and lighting, providing our personal design touches without a long wait.
  4. Research the Builder: Before falling in love with a home, research the builder. Look for references and reviews to ensure quality craftsmanship. Trust is essential when choosing a builder—consider it akin to a blind date. We trusted our builder because they lived nearby, allowing us to closely monitor progress and communication.
  5. Collaborate with the Builder: Learning to work with the builder as a team is crucial. Communicate openly and keep a record of all decisions and receipts. Discuss any desired upgrades or adjustments with the builder, ensuring they align with their vision and are feasible. Any significant changes should be added to the contract before finalizing the offer.

As we near completion of our semi-custom build, we’ve experienced both pros and cons. Quick turnarounds on requested changes have been a highlight, but the uncertainty of the process has been challenging. Nonetheless, we’re excited to share our real experiences—both the ups and downs—with our audience. We welcome your thoughts and comments as we continue on this journey together.

Here’s a sneak peek of our faucet, lighting and tile we chose:

Lighting we chose

The Jacqueline chandelier is on sale!

Faucets we chose

Tile we chose

White hexagon tile

Foyer Black and white tile

Boys bathroom hexagon floor tile

Boys subway tile for the wall

Girls bathroom shower floor marble hexagon

Girls bathroom white hexagon floor

Master bathroom floor tile in running board

Master bathroom shower floor

Laundry room tile

Similar vegan shorts // Shopshalicenoel tee // 327 New Balance sneakers tts //

Want to see more?

Let me know in the comments

As you’ve seen on my social media, we are going through a housing transition in our family, again.  I want to share our experiences in the housing market.  Buying and selling.  How to work with realtors and how to make a final housing decision

We decided to strategically sell our last home for a number of reasons.  A major one was, Reid had a job offer back in California.  We also seem to sell after every kitchen renovation.  We do this because we feel our home has the most value while the newly remodeled kitchen is fresher.  For some reason, we deny ourselves the beauty of living in a new kitchen.  As designers, we love a new project.  We also felt the timing of our sale would be ideal late summer.

We listed our house in August and priced it competitively.  It seemed like the house was on the market for a while and we were extremely discouraged knowing all the work we had poured into it.  We did one price drop and finally got some better offers.  Ironically, many of the people interested in the house were from California.  We finally went under contract, but did not have another house for us to purchase at the time.  This was panic time.

Buying and selling is unavoidably stressful, so do not do it as often as we do.  We felt that we could not buy a home until ours closed, just in case something fell through in the contract.  At this time, we were planning on moving back to California and house buying is difficult and contingencies are not ideal for a buyer’s offer.  Therefore, we had our hands tied until our home closed. 

Once we closed, we made a house hunting trip to California, with the entire family.  The kids were grieving their friends in Georgia and I had a gut feeling of hesitation.  My gut is usually what we go with.  In summary, we could not find a desirable house in California for the right price, size or condition.  It was gut wrenching.  One house that Reid loved and would have made for great content had a squatter living in it.  Could you imagine?  The kids revolted and my gut finally said, that’s it.   We decided to pivot back to Georgia and Reid would work remote.

Fortunately, we were able to stay with family and neighbors for a couple weeks and then Florida, while we searched.  We focused our house hunt within a 20 minutes radius of our church.

What have we learned about making a final decision on a home purchase?  Here are five tips we’ve experienced.

1)     Location is always everything.

2)    Know the value of the home and don’t get emotional.  (Study the recently sold listings to get a sense of fair values.  We will go back to old listings that we put offers on or were interested in to learn that the homes sold for exactly what we thought.  The realtor will try and get you to pay the most you are willing to pay to secure the deal in their best interest, but you need to be confident that you are the market and you know what you are willing to pay for.  Remember, you are the ones making the payments, not the realtors.)

3)    As designers, it’s easy to think of ways you can change a home, but consider cost of labor and materials.

4)    You will not find everything you are looking for, so don’t expect it.

5)    Date the rate, but marry the house.  We were overly concerned about changing interest rates until someone shared this with us:  We felt rushed buying a certain home, knowing the interest rates would rise the next day.  This was a bad mistake because we didn’t really love the home or the value we were getting.  Therefore, remember this saying:  Date the interest rate, but marry the house.  Interest rates throughout financial history have gone up and down, typically in a 3 to 7 years cycle.

While looking for homes, we were always disappointed in something about the house.  We ended up finding a listing that was at the framing stage and ready for the new owners to select finishes and we jumped on it. More on our new home later and our experience with new construction.  This is all new to us, so stay tuned!

Xo

Shalice

How to hang mini wreaths

by Shalice Noel

Mini wreaths from Trader Joes Similar here and here // Commando hooks // Gas lanterns // Cardigan in small // Modal Tee (in XS) // Joggers //

I like to keep holiday decorating cheap and simple to avoid distraction from the real meaning of Christmas. Wreaths are a great way to add Christmas character to your home but can be expensive. I chose these small scale candle wreaths from Trader Joes and they fit perfectly on our french doors. The wreaths were $9.99 and were able to buy one for each door for a great balance to our front porch. We used 3M command hooks to stick to the door. The wreaths don’t weigh much, so any size hooks should do. The hooks hold up to 3 pounds. I want to avoid permanently damaging our wood doors, so the hooks are a great find. Some people have complained the hooks don’t stick in humid climates, but so far so good for us in Florida.

I also plan to place dwarf evergreen trees in our planters and add some exterior string lights. The front porch decorating budget was $100. See what you can come up with this season and show me!

Chairs // Pressure Washer 2000PSI // Dyson Vacuum //

OWNING VACATION RENTAL PROPERTIES IS NOT ALL HOLIDAY

After renting out properties in Chicago, Lake Arrowhead, and now Florida, Reid and I have seen it all. Well, maybe not everything, but pretty close. We’ve had new chairs ruined by renters making holes in the seats, oven knobs shirred off, and another oven broken for 2 months. You never know what will happen next. We have compiled some highs, and not-so-glamorous realities below.

Like many of you, one of our financial goals is to have residual income in a variety of investment types.  Think barstool.  Each leg is a different means of income.  Vacation rental properties are one leg, but lots of stress. Is it worth it? Keep reading.

TIP: Properties require maintenance, visit your rental once a month to check-in.  As an investment property, you can stay on the property 14 days out of the year for holiday.  However, we recommend you visit the property at least once a month for maintenance and check-in.  It is work, not a vacation.  We use a local property manager for support, but we still find it necessary to keep things looking clean and maintained ourselves.  Management varies by percentages and involvement. Ours doesn’t cover landscaping. We pull weeds, scrub walls, change light bulbs, power wash the exterior and caulk sinks/showers.  Sweat equity is always worth it. I secretly love weeding, especially when there’s not a million mosquitos biting my legs.

TIP: Do things that require professionals during the off-season. The complication to your vacation rental is you have a small window of time between bookings to schedule big maintenance items, so plan-ahead.  We replaced our crawl space insulation with spray foam.  This isn’t a fun expense, but over time it will keep utility costs down.

TIP: Interior design is pivotal to your vacation property brand, but keep durability in mind when making a purchase.  We noticed after only six months of guest, the upholstery is already looking worn.  Keep knick-knacks and breakables to a minimum in the house.  To decorate, we used antique books around the house.  Books add warmth, are cheap, non-breakable and easy to replace.  The basic rule is, don’t get too attached. Your rental will likely experience lots of wear and tear and plan to budget to replace furniture at least once a year. Despite the losses, broke items, highs and lows, is it worth it? We say yes.

TIP: Bring your gently used furniture from your primary house into your rental. You don’t wanna buy new for a rental that gets A LOT of wear and tear. We recently brought our ottoman and rugs to our rental to freshen up the interior and take out the rugs that have seen better days. We’ll enjoy new rugs in our home while our rental gets a glow up.

How about you, have you taken the rental plunge? Share your tips below! Or email me shalice@shalicenoel.com

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