Anntraves Interior Design Newsletter | Volume 3

Bonjour, Mon Ami (Hello Friend)!

We hope you are doing well. It’s been a while since our last newsletter, and there is a lot to share. In August 2023, Anntraves Interior Design celebrated three years of business success. It has been a remarkable journey. Throughout the years: we have streamlined our process, incorporated a wellness and environmental component to our designs, and established new partnerships with some of the most reputable vendors in the United States. Our goal is to continue bringing affordable luxury design for you and your family to enjoy for years to come. We appreciate your continuous support and business. In this newsletter, we would like to share our latest design project, back-to-school organization tips and Shermetre’s grand trip to Europe.

The Latest Design Project

Building a new home can be overwhelming due to the many micro decisions to make within a rigorous timeline. The decisions you make can be permanent for a while. For examples: Tile floors or laminate? Navy blue or white kitchen cabinets? Media room or an additional office? The design options are endless. After carefully selecting your lot size and model home floor plan, the next step is to select your interior design features within the home. Bathrooms and kitchens are the most expensive rooms to design. After carefully prioritizing, you then decide what things you want the builder to incorporate now, compared to other things that economically makes more sense to incorporate later through an outside contractor. That’s exactly what our Lake Worth Client decided to do. She added her kitchen backsplash and motion sensor cabinet lighting later.

We believe the kitchen is always the heart of the home. For this project, the vision for the kitchen was to bring in our client’s personality, create a functional space with plenty of direct and indirect lighting, add a pop of color and select a backsplash tile that would complement the cherry wood cabinets and granite countertop. Every selection we make is intentional and all about the details. We selected a white porcelain marble look tile with pronounced gold veins, to tie in the yellow accent color. The tile had a high sheen and smooth finishes, which makes cleaning easy. The grout color is arctic white that matches the white in the countertops and wall color. Since our client is visually impaired, safety was a priority. To prevent any slips and falls, we added motion sensor lighting under the cabinets and below the bottom cabinets near the floor. The décor items on the countertop and above the cabinets are functional items our client can use daily or when she’s hosting an event.

Schedule a Discovery Call

Back to School Organization Tips

The kids are back in school; however, your schedule and family life can get perplex. You can prepare for the school year rush by fine-tuning how you organize your home, including storage and space use. Here are some tips for getting an organized home that will make going back to school easier.

Get an A+ with these back-to-school organization ideas below:

#1 Tip: Organize your kids’ bedroom closets and drawers.

Label the drawers, bins, and closet organizers with the type of clothing that goes in them. If your child knows which drawer is for socks and which bin is for T-shirts, they can stash their clothes in the right places, so an organized closet will stay intact.

#2 Tip: Add bins to store books.

Put library books in a separate bin on a low shelf so your child remembers to return them on time.

#3 Tip: Create a dedicated space for homework.

Keep phones and video games away from the study space, which is easier said than done. Having a designated homework space will eliminate distractions.

#4 Tip: Set up an organized drop zone in your entryway.

Put baskets or bins on the floor or on low shelves by the main entrance to catch the socks, toys, papers, and other school supplies that don't make it onto a hanger or into a cubby.

#5 Tip: Create a Back-to-School communications command center.

Get a large whiteboard with a calendar template that lets you customize each month and write down all your school-related appointments, activities, and meetings.

I hope you find these back-to-school tips helpful. We wish you and the kids an awesome school year!

Travel Inspiration – The Arc de Triomphe

Some friends of ours joined us for a trip to Europe; we traveled to Paris, Figueres and Barcelona. It was a trip of a lifetime for us, we stayed for 2.5 weeks. The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Grande Arche, St Josep La Boqueria Food Market and Barcelona Beach were fascinating sights to see. For the purpose of this newsletter, we would like to highlight the Arc de Triomphe.

The Arc de Triomphe is an iconic symbol of French national identity and took 30 years to build. Artilect, Jean Chalgrin started the construction, he died in 1811 and the work was taken over by Jean-Nicolas Huyot. The Arc de Triomphe is a neoclassical version of ancient roman architecture. It honors those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. The coffins of many French soldiers, such as Victor Hugo and Ferdinand Foch, are buried beneath the monument. The dimensions of the Arc de Triomphe are 164 ft tall, 148 ft wide and 48 ft in depth.

It was extremely difficult to get to the monument because it sits in the center of a roundabout between three of Paris’ busiest districts. We took an underground tunnel to get there safely. It is considered the tallest arch, and it is guarded by the military. It was a very humbling experience to read all the names and stories of individuals who dedicated their lives for their country.

If you have visited The Arc de Triomphe, Paris, or Barcelona before, I would love to hear your experience, please email me.

Until next time, Prends Soin de Toi (take care)

Arc de Triomphe in Paris

Your Home, Your way… But intensified!

We believe everyone deserves to live in a beautiful home that reflects YOUR personal style, what is important to YOU and the way YOU choose to live. When you are looking for interior design style guidance, look no further than Anntraves Interior Design. Shermetre Smith and her team can make your design dreams a reality.