Homemaking

          I believe homes should be a reflection of the lives inside them. People are complex creatures and each home usually encompasses a vast array of personalities. I think all who inhabit them should feel at home within them. That is precisely why I don't limit myself in the titles or styles of my designs. God does not create cookie cutters or one-dimensional beings and we often are attracted to and marry our opposites. I want to show how those differences working together can produce something beautiful in the end. Differences are not meant to scare us, they're meant to inspire and complement us. 

 

          What is "home" to one person is entirely different than what another person would consider home. A cozy cottage in Italy might be one person's dream, while a grand mansion on the beach might be another's. I don’t think people really feel at peace until they discover who they are and live in their identities. White walls might feel fresh, clean, and modern to one person, and while I enjoy some well-done designs with white, I realized my art room will always be the only room in my house with white walls. White cabinets and walls- though they can be beautiful- will never be in a home we're staying in. With five kids, they just make me fear fingerprints and stains. They remind me of perfectionism and restriction, a fear of failure and messes which as an artist, I think is no way to live. I know so many people fear color. To me, color represents growth in my creativity and security and boldness in my identity. I often work with warm colors because they bring about warmth, comfort, and moodiness which are all things that I love as an INFJ. At the same time, I often add a little bit of whimsy and playfulness to all of our own homes because that's also a side of me that is usually reserved for those closest to me. I love figuring out how to make my kids' rooms entirely their own and a reflection of the things they love and want to do the same for anybody who hires me. Ownership brings about care, and I don't expect someone to want to care about anything they don't love. For me personally, I always had a messy room growing up until I was able to paint it, decorate it, and make it my own. After that, it was very uncommon for me to have a messy room unless I was working on another project as creative projects always bring about messes. Not going to lie, that still describes me to this day. It is hard for me to keep a space clean if I know I'm still going to hate it after it's clean. Our current and biggest fixer upper yet has had some big messes in the process as a result.

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          I've never been formally taught in design, but I have been "home-schooled," "HGTV-taught," and have a lot of hands-on experience in the subject. From helping clean up my dad's rentals he somewhat fixed up as a young child, making cardboard box polly pockets and dollhouses with vinyl floors with my sister and best friend, to helping build my best friend and neighbor's playhouse and landscaping with her and her dad in my youth, it has always been a part of my life. From designing, making, and painting my own bedroom shelves as a wooden art project I wanted to be able to put to use in high school and my own room, to helping out friends and family, designing and making mini room boxes and up-cycling doll houses, and living in and flipping our own homes and a rental we sold, and up cycling various furniture and things, I have loved learning to find solutions to problems and creating beauty and function wherever we live and in whatever I do. As the youngest of five who wore and often still wears hand-me-downs, thrift store clothes, and yard sale finds, I saw my limitations as an opportunity to grow in my creativity and as a teen was often told I should be on a look for less show by those with designer clothes I still can't afford. As a stay at home mom of five living on one income since the birth of our first child and my husband as a teacher for the first decade of our marriage, I have always worked on a tight budget and am not afraid of mixing old with new things as a result, and am often able to negotiate for a better deal. I have used craigslist, online rummages, thrift stores, yard sale finds, holiday deals, and online shopping with coupon codes, or buying $1 eBay coupons to save hundreds at local hardware stores. Our dining room in our first flip was featured in the top 5 budget remodels in This Old House Magazine though my computer was having issues uploading pictures of any other room, and I have yet to enter again. 

          I love pushing myself to think outside the box. I wanted to create Moroccan architecture with media storage, saw the price and difficulties of getting my hands on a Moroccan trellis at the time, and saw a vision to create what I wanted through our local World Market store with a room divider, Ikea shelves, and some creativity, and loved what came about as a result. I've created a one-of-a-kind mirror that I loved for $4 and tax that was passed onto me that I re-created with a cardboard display board and Modpodge from the dollar store and some leftover scrap fabric and glue I already had. With giving birth to five kids within 9 years, I've had to create durability and work with the safety of children in mind. Working around the fear of leaving out projects or tools my kids could access has helped me push past procrastination struggles. I feel like I have an advantage in my experiences that many might not come across for many years. I am always learning and always wanting to stay up to date. HGTV's "Boise Boys" and a newly discovered "One of a Kind" show are my current favorites. Of course, I love Fixer Upper as well, and loved Color Splash, Deserving Design, Divine Design, Design on a Dime, Restaurant Impossible, and Peter Perfect in the past, as well as Flea Market Flip. I love seeing, learning, and borrowing or expanding upon ideas I've seen that I love. However, I will never blindly follow trends or do something just because someone else is doing it, and I don't think anyone else should either.
 

          Limitations do not have to stop beauty and function. They serve as opportunities to advance creativity and individuality. With our newest fixer upper, we have come against some of the craziest issues we've ever dealt with. There have been so many setbacks we could have never prepared ourselves for-which often happens in renovation, and so much flexibility has been required. Some of my designs have been challenged and have needed to be altered as a result. Instead of continually fighting for my way and design to happen, I've started asking God if there might be a better way to fix the problem and have only grown all the more because of it. Some of my absolute favorite touches in our newest home that makes it all the more unique are because I didn't demand my way and asked the master Designer and Creator for His guidance. I couldn't be more pleased with the direction He's led me. I believe there's a solution to every problem and design shouldn't only be aesthetically pleasing, but serve in functionality as well. Our homes should be a place of refuge- a safe haven we can feel at rest and at peace within. They should serve us every day and in every stage and season of life as they grow with us.

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          I would love for everyone to have the blessing of feeling at home and coming to life in the space given to them. If I can help serve you and create that space where design, functionality, and peace can all come together in your own home or business, I would be honored to have that opportunity. If you're in the Sioux Falls area and I can help you stage and get ready to sell your house or you're just wanting help decorating for a holiday or event, I would love to be at your service. If you're just wanting help choosing complimentary colors for the different rooms in your home or helping shop for your room on a budget, it would be my pleasure to help you feel confident in your decisions and help you create the home of your dreams. From what I've read, advanced interior designers can charge as much as $500 per hour while average interior design services can often fall between $50-$200+/hour plus the cost of furniture, accessories, and artwork, including marking up a lot of decor used. I have never liked not knowing upfront costs, have worked with a lot of hourly-paid employees with poor work ethic who seem to try to extend their time as much as they can, there is so much behind-the-scenes work that goes into interior design that I can't imagine the kind of expenses that might add up, and always want to be upfront about my charges. I also want to make it available to everyone while still being able to help my family. Because of this, I would charge 10% of the budget given for a project for my services. If you have a $100 budget, I would get $10 and have $90 to spend. If you have a $1,000 budget, I would get $100 and $900 to spend and so on. Obviously, the more money is given for a project, the more I can do with it. Extremely tight budgets and short time frames often make it harder to get better deals, but I won't say it can't happen as I believe anything's  possible and I've experienced and done what might have seemed impossible to some with God's help. 

          As a wife and mom of five, I do have to work around my family and hope you honor my time. However, I always want to exceed my client's expectations. I will never be satisfied until you are, and will always go above and beyond to make my clients happy. If I can extend your budget further than we thought while still getting the quality you desired or just extra money leftover to give you, it would be a blessing to go above your expectations and gain your trust. I want to work on an honor system. I will never expect or charge more than 10%, and I expect you to not take advantage of me and try to be somewhat realistic when it comes to what paid labor costs. I am a designer, not the laborer. While I don't mind getting my hands dirty or doing whatever might be required to see a project through to the end, please don't expect me to paint your entire room and decorate it for the cost of what a company would charge to paint it. If plumbing or construction work is needed and permits need to be pulled, the budget will need to factor in the pay required for those services. If painting needs to happen, while I will help choose colors, we would hire a painting company, we could do it for the price painting companies charge if they’re too busy, or you have the option of painting it yourself to save money. Through working on our own homes and my husband working as a commercial project manager for a reputable painting company and having to deal with many painters, contractors, construction workers, handymen, electricians, plumbers, etc., we have a list of people whose services have pleased us and can generally give an estimate based on what they charge and our own experiences.  However, because they don't work exclusively for us, we would have to work around their schedules so please be realistic when it comes to extensive remodels and time frames given. I will do my best to communicate clearly and write out a contract ahead of time. As of this moment, I do not have a service to create a design plan ahead of time for others to see; however, I am hoping to make that available in the future and will be looking more into that. I can and would, however, show you samples of fabric, color swatches, tiles, flooring, or whatever else is needed for a project. Again, I will not be satisfied until you are, and always try to exceed people’s expectations. 

 

          If my help interests you and you would like to discuss how I could further serve you and bring life to your home or business, please email me at rachelanndittmer@gmail.com with the title "Homemaking" for your home or "RADesigns" for your business. I would love to hear from you!