Working From Home Advice From Joanne Palmisano

Working from Home Advice from

Award-winning Interior Design and Author, Joanne Palmisano

I have almost always worked from home in my career. For the last 20 years I have had a home office where I have created my books and run my interior design business and people are always asking me how I get so much done. Here are a few tips (and pitfalls to avoid).

First. Get dressed. I’m not saying you have to shower or even put make-up on. What I am saying is put on some jeans and shirt – never work in your P.J.s. I truly believe that has an adverse affect on your productivity.

Second. Don’t turn on the TV for background noise. It will suck you in. Maybe have on some soft music (not loud) but don’t let social media or other similar outlets distract you.  If you do listen to a podcast or something similar, listen to it while you force yourself to go for a 20 minute walk during the day.

Third. Stand up every 20 to 30 minutes (or if you're standing up at a stand up desk- stand properly). I am so bad at this. When I only had a desk that I could sit at, my hip would hurt so much, I couldn’t even stand straight when I got up from my chair. Now that I have a stand up desk (that goes up and down) I love it but I do find myself, leaning a bit and have started to notice twinges in my back. So stand or sit properly. When I was sitting, I would turn on the kitchen timer for 30 minutes and it would force me get up from my chair and go into the kitchen and turn it off and then head back to my desk.

Fourth. Give yourself some rules. If working from home is new to you. Give yourself some rules, you can only take 30 minutes for lunch (you can do social media or news then) and you must give yourself 20 minutes for a walk or stretch… ETC.

Fifth. Be Kind. When you're with people they can see your facial reactions, get your dry sense of humor and see if you like an idea or not. Be careful with your emails and CORRESPONDENCE – does it sound friendly? Think about how someone may react. Face time is a beautiful thing (this may force you to shower and do your hair). Say hello and have meetings with folks, let’s stay connected, it is a great way to continue to stay positive during this anxiety filled time.

Sixth. Write down your list of projects you want to accomplish by the end of the week. I know it may sound silly, but sometimes when working from home, it is easier to procrastinate on a project you don’t want to do – but having that list forces you to cross it off, whether you want to do it or not.

Here are some pitfalls I continue to fall into…

I work all the time… weekends, evenings, and early morning. I love what I do, so I find myself taking client calls on weekends, creating drawings late at night, and writing early in the morning before the birds even wake up. (Our daughter is in college, so we are empty-nesters.) I’m Not recommending you do this — so avoid it if you can — but I’m not going to condone it Because I feel better about taking a quick nap — if i’ve worked extra hours that week. :)

The kitchen… has so many opportunities for making cookies, an extra cup of coffee, (and I’m sure I saw a bag of chips in the pantry). Stay strong. And continue to eat healthy and allow yourself only one small snack or treat a day (Girl Scout cookie time!).

I have Horizontalitis… It is the disease of putting all my work all over the house’s horizontal surfaces. As a designer, I have fabric samples, flooring samples, have finished DIY samples to show a client, drawings, specification sheets, half finished cups of coffee… I mean, I’m worse than a teenager. do not follow my lead, keep your office materials contained to one area – preferable an area where you can shut the door and forget about it till the next day.

Good Luck and Continue to Find the Opportunities and Not the Fear.

Virtual Hugs and Kisses,

Joanne Palmisano

Joanne Palmisano is the author of Salvage Secrets, Salvage Secrets Design & Décor and Styling with Salvage. Her latest book, just released, is Rock Your Rental, coauthored with her twin sister, marketing expert, Rosanne Palmisano.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE AND AFTER of a vacation rental front door. We changed this space to create an actual mudroom and a desk area for guest’s to set up their computer. A simple change in the door’s location created two additional useful spaces.

Calming Crafts to Help Us Relax.

There are so many things up in the air right now, causing us all a bit of anxiety — I’m right there with you. With all the school cancellations, businesses working from home and the uncertainty on how this virus is going to progress — I find myself reaching for a craft. I know it sounds crazy, but crafting and DIYing truly calms me down.

Yes, I could take this extra time, not out at meetings or traveling, to clean my house — really clean it — organize all my clothes — get to the basement projects I’ve been planning a while but who wants to do all that. Yes, I’m working — and I’m one of the lucky folks who already work out of their home — so my schedule has not changed — but my level of tension has. So to help us all calm down (and avoid cleaning our bathrooms), I’ve put together a few DIY’s I’ve done in the past that can be done with stuff you probably already have lying around the house. Some of these are time consuming but mindless — which I find is even better when I’m looking for a mediation type craft. I truly hope they help you like they help me.

Stay safe, wash hands, be well. Joanne

NEED: GLUE GUN, GLUE STICKS, A STICK/BRANCH, and LEFT OVER YARN, EMBROIDERY THREAD, TWINE, ROPE, SHOE LACES…

DIRECTIONS; Wrap and Hot Glue each start and finish and a little bit in between. It is as easy as that — Time consuming, calming… but easy!

NEED: SMALL ROCKS, SCRAPS OF FABRIC OR SHEETS, RIBBONS OR TWINE, CURTAIN CLIP OR SAFETY PIN.

DIRECTIONS: Soon we will be back to normal and we will want to head out for a picnic. You can make these easy Picnic table cloth holders with rocks, ribbons, scraps of sheets or fabric and either curtain clips or safety pins. So fun to make and easy. No sewing or gluing required. Tear strips of sheets and wrap around a small rock, hold in place with twine or ribbon — before you hold in place with ribbon, use one piece to loop through the metal ring of the curtain clip or pin through and then finish wrapping.

All you need is a paper bag and a marker or two. Create your very own recycled gift wrapping paper for any occasion. Going for a walk in the woods — don’t tear birch bark off the trees but if you see small pieces on the ground — pick them up — clean them — dry them and then paint the back with chalk paint or black paint and make gift tags. So easy and fun.

Find a black and white outline of something you love online and then start to create a fun black and white piece of art. This is very calming. All you need is paper and a black marker, pen or pencil. I’ve made of ton of these — some of them small ones — and then glued them onto black cards and gave them in a pack of 5 as gifts.

Old paintbrushes, toothbrushes, nails, driftwood pieces, rulers, pencils, paper straws… you name it — you can make a unique vase or two from it. Wrap your paintbrushes around a recycled glass jar (this is a salsa jar) and then hold together with twine, string or something similar. I did glue the paintbrushes to hold them in place then wrapped the twine — glue doesn’t really hold well on glass — but it was enough to allow me to work with the twine.

Using leftover sheet music and some fun Bigfoot prints from my computer, I made some funny gift cards. Using left over paper bags, wallpaper, card stock, stickers, old cards, create your own fun blank cards you can use to write someone you love. I used a regular old glue stick to put them on.

Using left over Valentine’s Day boxes, old shoe boxes and similar cardboard boxes, find all the little pieces and do-dads you have lying around the house to create a keepsake box. This is a fun project to do with kids. You will need a hot glue gun, or some glue, and some little pieces of this and that. You can use old game pieces, costume jewelry, an old scarf, keys… etc.

Have some old t-shirts you want to make cooler than they are. Well, if you haven’t gone through all your bleach :) Then put a little bit in an old spray bottle. Using kitchen drawer paper to cut out shapes, or letters and place them on the front of your cotton t-shirt. MAKE SURE, you have something in between the front and back of the shirt — I slipped inside a postage box and if I want the bleach to stay concentrated around the figure — I place rags around the space I want it to stay inside of. Sometimes the bleach works and sometimes it doesn’t (depends on the material of the t-shirt). Make sure you are not getting bleach everywhere — it will stain. Let dry completely. Peel off your figure or letters and wash alone. Hope it works for you.

“Stay calm and craft on.”

Today's the Day! Book Release of Rock Your Rental

So excited TODAY the book I wrote with my twin sister, Rosanne Palmisano, is available! ROCK YOUR RENTAL! We are just so thrilled to share:

Easy, Budget-Friendly Design, Marketing and Customer Service Solutions  for your AirBnB, Rental Property, Inn, Bed & Breakfast, or Boutique Hotel.

We live on opposite sides of the country (she lives in California and is a marketing consultant and I live in Vermont, an interior designer for projects all over the country) so this gave us the opportunity to spend lots more time together and work in different parts of the country and the world. So cheers to all those who helped us make this dream a reality. Cin, Cin, Rosanne and Joanne

It all started with a glass of wine in Italy…

The book has been out a week and it has been on the top ten list ever since… Thank you everyone for your support.

The Amazing World of Salvage

HELLO! In the past couple of weeks, I have done a numerous amount of media interviews, including trend predictions for RedFin, some ideas for Woman’s World Magazine, Unique Homes, Cottages and Bungalows and more, and am happy to say, that sustainability, salvage, and vintage charm play a key role in all of these interviews.

As I look at back at the content from my old website, Salvage Secrets Blog, I realize that much of my great information about designing, styling and crafting with salvage is not shown here on my new site. Believe me, I still spend a lot of time working with it, designing with it, and talking about it, because basically it is oozing with charm and soul and it’s important in today’s design industry we reuse as much as we can. Salvage materials compliments every decorating style — from farmhouse to glam to modern and beyond. I want to share my… Salvage Secrets, my design work, discoveries and decorating ideas — all within the amazing world of salvage. So for now, I’m going to put it all in blog post — till I can figure out how to get another button on my navigation bar. ;)

It can be as simple as recycled vases and creating a floral display or recovering pillows with an old bed coverlet. DIY in the book, Salvage Secrets Design and Decor by Joanne Palmisano. Photo by Susan Teare

Did you know? Decorating with salvage materials is usually a less expensive way to furnish a space because second hand goods cost less, and oftentimes, they make such an impact that less décor is required for the overall project. While saving money, you gain a space brimming with soul and one-of-a-kind details. Whether you want just a few vintage finds or for salvage to take center stage, these materials can play a key role in your commercial or residential projects. You can’t go wrong with salvage!

With over 270 projects online with DIY NETWORK, including an 8-part video series, you will find a salvage, vintage or repurposed DIY that you will love. Most of the DIY’s have step by step instructions. Have Fun!

My Books

Salvage interior design guru — okay… I’ll take that :) So thrilled I can say that my books have received internationally acclaim. I wrote the books for designers, decorator and homeowners, alike and each one is so different than the other. They each show you how to use recycled wood, reclaimed stone, vintage glass, salvaged furnishings, new products made from recycled materials and much more. Amazing photographs, where to find it, how to use and style ideas, are just the beginning. They are must have books for any designer or homeowner who loves vintage, recycled, reclaimed goods.

They explore a wealth of both large and small scale interior design and decor concepts, with over 600 photos combined in all these books — showing off a variety of design styles for every room in the house—kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, living rooms, entryways and outdoor areas.

 My books, Salvage Secrets, Transforming Reclaimed Materials Into Design Concept, Salvage Secrets Design & Décor and Styling with Salvage, Designing and Decorating with Reclaimed Materials, are not just about something discarded is simply something not yet found, but about merging the worlds of old and new to create stunning, one-of-a-kind interiors.

Presentations and Book Signings are a blast. I love to share my passion for salvage and reuse, through gorgeous color photography, before and afters, and my books. Here I am presenting at the Country Living Fair in Nashville.

Coming soon, Rock Your Rental, which I wrote with my twin sister, Rosanne, also has a ton of design and decorating ideas for the boutique hospitality and short-term vacation rental markets. We share more ideas on how to reuse, budget-friendly advice and eco-friendly ways to enhance your guests’ experience.

Cover of our latest book, Rock Your Rental, coming out in a month! You can pre-order today :)

I will continue to use salvage, recycled and reclaimed materials in my design, because it is beautiful and the right thing to do :)

Enjoy! Joanne

Renovation of Mad River Barn, Interior Design by Joanne Palmisano, Photo by Susan Teare

Simple display for a patio or party using reclaimed jars. DIY by Joanne Palmisano, Photo by Susan Teare.

BEDROOMS... Curl Up and Stay a While

Something about these single digit temperature days that just makes me want to hibernate till spring. It’s tough getting out of bed when the wind chill is below zero… but we do and we rally. But thinking about it this morning, made me realize how many different bedrooms styles I’ve been able to work on. Each space is different and has their own unique flair. Here are a few I’ve done… Pull up the covers and enjoy :)

So crawl in :) Kid’s rooms are fun to design… Styling it like someone just jumped up from reading and a nap. Photo Lindsay Selin.

The wide angle shot of the headboard at Main and Mountain Motel. Love it when we get to create custom furniture pieces for beds. Photo Lindsay Selin.

A cozy romantic bedroom in a Michigan Airbnb. Before this room used to be all purple (see the before and after page to check it out).

In the charming rustic cabin, called Sugar Maple Cottage, at Bear Mountain Inn, during the renovations of the inn, barn and cabin, we re positioned the bed and added a vintage dresser — now it really flows nicely. We didn’t have to add hard-wiring electrical to our budget — we used plug-in wall sconces. Photo Molly & Victoria.

At Basin Harbor Resort and Boat Club, the Champlain House, a six room building built in 1920’s, we dreamed of summer days by the lake, so we upgraded all these rooms to a have a nautical and inviting summer cottage feel while reusing some of the furnishings and bringing in some vintage pieces as well. Custom Etsy pillows, a blanket by Pine Cone Hill, and cool wallpaper are just of the few of the features in these updated rooms. Photo Orchard Cove Photography.

Don’t let an awkward room stop you from doing something clever, this tiny room with an angled ceiling used to have a double bed in it — totally difficult to get around — now this room, with its built-in twin beds against the wall with shiplap design, is cozy and makes the room much more usable.

Updating the 14 rooms in the original farmhouse turned historic lodge building at Basin Harbor was really exciting, because we were able to show that you can keep the charm of an historic space, while making it comfortable and clean for today’s modern traveler. Linen bed skirt, cotton bed throw, vintage style pillows and gorgeous blue wallpaper and some vintage style bass lamps, blend beautifully in this cozy space. Photo Susan Teare.

This farmhouse building, built sometime in the early 1800’s, was updated but not wanting to lose the feel, and with a small budget, we stuck with soft colors, lots of textures and kept things simple.

There are 74 cottages on the 700 acre property at Basin Harbor Resort and slowly we are renovating each one to reflect their unique personalities while updated amenities for the guests. Photo Susan Teare.

This guest room at Bear Mountain Inn, didn’t have a bathroom but had a giant closet. So we turned things around — we tucked the bed into the closet — added a gorgeous reclaimed wood headboard and some wall sconces, then we had enough room to add a bathroom. Getting creative with space in a bedroom can add a whole bunch of possibilities. Photo Molly & Victoria.

When asked by Cottages and Bungalows and American Farmhouse Style magazine to work with them and Yankee Barn Homes on their 2019 Project Home — I said yes — to the bedrooms. I love transforming these spaces. With drawings and dimensions, I created a concept and the folks at the magazine reached out to the amazing people we wanted to highlight, from carpeting, to peel and stick wallpaper, to bedding, to furniture and vintage finds, we gathered all the goodies and in a day, with a couple of helping hands, we transformed three empty bedrooms into what they look like here. Photo RidgeLight Studio.

The close up shot of the downstairs master bedroom from the Project House. Ethnicraft bed, vintage dresser, Parachute sheets and coverlet, and some amazing peel and stick wallpaper. Photo RidgeLight Studio.

Creating a kids room filled with vintage finds— thanks to the help from the folks at Vermont Antiques Mall. Pink beds and floral prints — love!

Then there is the old… turn an outdated bedroom into a fun, hip, vacation rental space… Check! The budget friendly star idea in this bedroom is turning old closet cabinets into a stunning headboard. Photo Lindsay Selin.

I love close up shots — these bedrooms at Mad River Barn in the old Annex Building, now called the Longhouse, are just as cozy as the rooms in the Inn — except these rooms have TV’s — so sometimes a little more sought after :) But we hope the gorgeous bedding and reclaimed wood are enough to draw you in. Photo Susan Teare.

The rooms in the inn at Mad River Barn are totally transformed from the skiing days were folks were sleeping on mattresses on the floors (seriously). We still can’t believe how amazing these industrial rustic style bedrooms turned out and the amazing of recycled and reclaimed materials we used, including the step by step DIY faux leather headboards! Photo Susan Teare.

Sometimes just combining some unique pieces and painting the walls white is all you need to make a bedroom shine, like the one we redid in Michigan for a vacation rental property.

Sometimes the words, simplify, simplify, simplify are all you need to be reminded of when designing a getaway place — your bedroom should feel like you have truly escaped the real world. Bold blanket, throw pillow and area rug, all complement each other and add texture to a simple and calming bedroom palette. Photo Lindsay Selin.

For those of you who love flea market style and a funky eclectic salvage style… this bedroom is for you! Photo Susan Teare.

When you have a funky wall “put a bird on it” — or a bed — or two. We love to transform closets into cozy built-ins — whether they are bunk beds or a daybed, do you have a space you can add a sleeping nook in?

Loved how these 14 bedrooms turned out at this outdated (auctioned off) motel redo — showing that a budget project can still look modern, hip and cozy! BTW — a custom live edge headboard is not difficult to make… Photo Lindsay Selin

Another room we were able to transform (in this old barn turned vacation home), shows that throw pillows and blankets can transform a look of a bed from clean and comfortable to down right cozy. Photo Lindsay Selin.

Until next blog… I’ll be dreaming of summer days overlooking the lake.