Just when you think it’s safe to head back into Winter, house problems can lurk where you least expect them. Don’t be ambushed. Take these four key steps now to shield your home from things that go bump in the night. (Warning! Images may disturb some homeowners!)
Let’s be honest: rainwater is no friend to houses. Clogged gutters prevent water from running off and away from roofs, foundations, woodwork, and siding. And that causes warping and rot.
If your gutters are already full of debris – maybe you’re sprouting seedlings, or a moss garden like this! – falling Autumn leaves will only make things worse. Schedule a thorough cleaning now, and inspect your gutters and downspouts for the cracks and rust that make rain a weapon of house destruction.
Nothing beats a cozy winter fire in the hearth. But fire should stay where it belongs. Dirty, clogged, and crumbling chimneys, or chimneys that need re-lining, create serious hazards. Is it time to have yours inspected and repaired?
Or maybe you’re ready to swap your romantic (but smoky and sooty!) wood-burning fire for the clean and pretty convenience of a gas fireplace insert. Just in time for the holidays.
No matter what, take this advice: the American Red Cross recommends we use the time change, on Sunday, November 6th, as a reminder to replace batteries on all smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Take an extra moment to hit the “test” buttons to make sure alarms are working. Then enjoy that extra hour of fire-safe sleep, as Daylight Savings Time ends.
We all dread the feeling. Icy fingers caressing our necks. Chilly gusts through closed windows. Disgruntled undead souls?
Or just drafty cracks in windowpanes and caulking? Replace broken glass and old caulking now, and add new insulation to attics and crawl spaces, to keep out the winter cold – and keep in that expensive furnace heat. While you’re at it, ask yourself: when did you last have your HVAC checked and serviced? Do your filters look like werewolves, they’re that woolly with dust and debris? Autumn’s the time to button up against unfriendly Winter.
Peril stalks your doorstep, without good outside lights for porches and walkways. Days grow shorter; evenings darker. Just coming home from work and school can be a hard stumble through the gloom. And then there’s Halloween.
Now’s the time to install brighter bulbs in outside fixtures, and wash glass shades and hurricane chimneys so lights can shine out. And if you’re really ready to stop cursing the darkness, revamp your exterior lighting plan altogether, with fresh new fixtures and photo-cell motion sensors to turn on lights when you need them most.
Lights make a home so welcoming. Don’t you think?
Scared? Take heart. The Wills Company Handyman is professionally staffed and equipped to handle every fearsome house challenge you face as Winter approaches. Make your own list, then call us to help.
The New York Times reports that Americans spent $97 billion (billion!) last year on “athleisure” – play clothes you wear all day, for every event: spandex hoodies in to work; yoga pants out to dinner; sweat suits for supper at home.
America, we can do better.
Don’t get us wrong. We love leisure. But we love being grown-ups too. Can’t we do both at once?
Firth & Moore make a party of two in Tom Ford’s “A Single Man” (2009).
Of course we can. And like every good habit, grown-up leisure begins at home. With a party.
Tracy & Hepburn host a weeknight dinner at home in “Adam’s Rib” (1949).
If you need reminding where to start, we have ideas. First, reclaim a space where you live to be grown-up ground-zero. Maybe that’s an actual home bar, like these the Wills Company designed and built in Nashville.
Or maybe it’s a living room table you finally clear of newspapers, mail, and lost homework.
The Stokesay Court drawing room stars in “Atonement” (2007).
A classic bar cart can also do the trick.
Crosby, Kelly & Sinatra take it outside in “High Society” (1956).
And with the right spirit, furniture’s entirely optional.
Connery, party of one, in “Diamonds are Forever” (1971).
Hepburn & Cat, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961).
Second, once you’ve claimed your spot, collect the basic party tools. With great respect, we offer this advice to everyone, novice and veteran host alike. Whether you’re starting a home new from scratch, or have been settled in for years, a fresh party set-up can inspire fresh parties. Our own essential short-list includes beautiful glasses (luxurious crystal or colorful vintage), charming cloth napkins, a handsome cocktail shaker, and sensuous trays to keep it all neat and inviting.
Taigan.com Epergne, Nashville RubyLane.com
AshBlue, Nashville Mason Shaker, Brooklyn, NY Food52.com
West Elm RitaKonig.com Aerin.com
Third, add a festive drink. Let these two modern classics jog your imagination.
And alcohol’s never required. A tee-totaling punch rounds out any good repertoire. Click here for three chic mocktail recipes from Sean McClure, the mixologist behind Cocktail Chemistry.
Fourth, and best, invite your favorite friends to dress up and join you.
Powell & Loy at home in “The Thin Man” (1934).
Consider it a public service: give everyone a reason to ditch the yoga pants. You never know – you might spark a trend.
Yes, we’re serious. January 1st claims star billing on the calendar, but in real life the truer New Year comes these last days of hot weather, when we pack away summer and launch into Fall. Whether you’re knee-deep in new school binders and backpacks for yourself or your children, or twitching to old back-to-school rituals from an earlier life, Fall urges us to clear the decks and get back to business.
Jenna Lyons at J.Crew, New York. Photo by Heather Clawson, “Creativity at Work”
There’s nothing like a compelling work space to open our minds and spark good work, whatever our work might be. Consider Diana Vreeland’s lair at Vogue:
And John Updike’s study in Ipswich, Massachusetts:
Photo by Jill Krementz
Likewise, the Wills Company built serene magic into these nooks for two Nashville creatives.
What’s more, you don’t need a lot of space to carve out your own inspiring office. You just need the books, pictures, clippings, swatches, or totems that ignite your creativity. Picture Jacqueline Kennedy writing at her Georgetown home:
Photo by Jacques Lowe, 1959
Or Coco Chanel working at the Ritz Hotel, Paris:
Photos by Mark Shaw for Life Magazine, 1957
After all, look where Jane Austen wrote during the last eight years of her life:
Photo courtesy of the Jane Austen House Museum, Chawton, Hampshire, England
The Wills Company Design-Build team transforms even small spaces into home-office jewels.
Like this bright perch on a sunny Nashville landing:
What matters is that your own space trigger the kind of focus and clarity – the kind of happy mental distance from more mundane daily tasks – that lets you think, plan, write, and create your best work. It should reflect and refresh your most spontaneous (and even outlandish) self. Just imagine the creative sparks flying in Roald Dahl’s writing shed, in Great Missenden, England.
Dedicated corner, spare room, or shed at the end of the garden: resolve to claim space for your best work this Fall.
We all have a list of reliable favorites – old friends that never disappoint us. Like these classic whites:
But every habit needs a regular shake-up, and color habits are no exception. When we’re looking for revolution, any idea might turn our heads. No matter the source.
Like the unabashed greens in this Gucci ad.
Benjamin Moore Yellow Green, Pantone 390C, Benjamin Moore Neon Green, Pantone 327C
Or Wes Anderson’s scene-stealing oranges.
Farrow & Ball Charlotte’s Locks, Benjamin Moore Orange, Benjamin Moore Sunflower, Pantone 1795C
Movie costumes can shock with possibility. Take Charlotte Rampling’s Edwardian gown in The Wings of the Dove, directed by Iain Softley. Purple and deep citron? Nothing safe about that.
Benjamin Moore Purple Rain, Benjamin Moore Citrus Burst, Farrow & Ball Studio Green
And for anyone who still worries about mixing reds and pinks, take courage from this Gucci dress, here worn by Dakota Johnson.
Finally, you don’t have to be bright to be bold. Consider the subtle depth of color in this Edward Steichen photograph from 1925.
Inspired? We suggest you start small, like painting a powder room, a stair landing, or a nook you use for reading. The wall behind your bar, a mudroom, or even your laundry room all make great color laboratories. And when you’re ready to experiment, call the Wills Company Handyman for expert painting services. Like this Nashville homeowner:
Have you ever entered a house that doesn’t quite . . . breathe?
Nothing’s really wrong. The rooms are perfectly nice, and pleasantly decorated. But still, you don’t truly relax. You don’t feel that deep comfort, that profound ease we crave from a home. The space simply isn’t a joy.
Maybe a serious flaw in the feng shui? An inauspicious qi?
Or maybe the house just needs a space-lift.
Consider the front hall in this traditional Belle Meade colonial. Orderly and correct, it doesn’t grab attention, either good or bad:
Now look again, after Ridley Wills re-designed this same space, and led its renovation by Wills Company specialists:
Out go cluttering walls and doorways, with that dark, closed-off feel. In come air and light. This house says “welcome” from front to back. Aaahh.
That’s Wills Company Design-Build at work: one seamless, integrated system for making homes breathe better. Architecturally intelligent design. Detailed planning and budgeting (we’re very serious about budgeting). Meticulous construction. The Wills Company Design-Build handles every step.
That made for a smoother process when the owners of this classic foursquare home wanted a generous space for entertaining. Ridley re-envisioned an unused side hallway as a cozy, now much-enjoyed bar.
And the jumbled kitchen became an airy sanctuary for cooking and conversation.
The same Design-Build expertise let Ridley re-invent a conventional mid-80s cluster-house as a sophisticated urban retreat for a downsizing couple. Change began at the front door, where Ridley transformed the once-choppy foyer into a smooth, serene invitation. . .
into one of Nashville’s best spots for a leisurely, talk-filled dinner.
Wouldn’t anyone seem more interesting at this table? We certainly think so.)
Finally, even a large room can feel closed and airless when walls and doorways don’t make their best sense. Consider this entry way, in a venerable Belle Meade house:
See all those visual road blocks? All those closing doors and blocky wood frames? Ridley cleared them out to let light and air circulate freely. This already large space seemed to double in size. And triple in joy:
These Nashville resources have roused us (finally) to clear the mail stacks off the dining room table. Easter, weddings, graduations; any reason at all. Spring, we’re coming for you!
Corzine & Co. 4003 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville. Phone 615-385-0140. Store hours Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5:30 PM; Saturday 10 AM to 5:00. Online at www.corzineco.com.
Gilchrist Gilchrist.2825 Bransford Avenue, Nashville. Phone 615-385-2122. Store hours Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 5 PM. Online at www.gilchristgilchrist.com.
(Shop mascot Finn sits ready to help.)
AshBlue.2170 Bandywood Drive, Nashville. Phone 615-383-4882. Store hours Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM; Sunday, 12 PM to 5 PM. Online at www.ashblue.com.
Target.26 White Bridge Road, Nashville. Phone 615-352-8461. Store hours Monday through Saturday, 8 AM to 11 PM; Sunday, 8 AM to 10 PM. Online at www.target.com.
Epergne. 6592 Highway 100, Suite 100, Nashville. Phone 615-840-6341. Store hours Monday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM. Online at www.shopepergne.com.
And for the online shopper, don’t forget one of our favorite sites, Taigan.com! The perfect way to fill Easter baskets!
These macaroons from Taigan are the best!
How about a precious watercolor by Nashville artist Lexie Armstrong? Makes our heart JUMP!
Inspired yet? We want to see your own Spring table creations. Post your photo to Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #willscospringtables (make sure your post is Public). We’ll be watching for you! And while you’re at it, follow us on Instagram and on facebook.
