Young mom asks for design help

by Gale Steves

Seldom do I meet the perfect demographic, but then I became acquainted with Barbara, a young, stay-at-home mother with two kids under the age of six. She apologizes that she is not working full-time, (Hers, in my book, is a full-time job of mothering). However, she volunteers for at least community charity and is an active member of her church.

Some might categorize her as "Gen Y," but I see her as a Frugal Mom. As the family budget shrank, so did her travel and entertainment outside of the house. In fact, her home has become even more important as a gathering place for family and friends. Barbara admits to being an online coupon clipper as well as often refers friends to internet sites and deals. Most of this happens when the kiddies are tucked in bed, after 8 PM.

Since the home has become her focus, she is making a good pennywise step in replacing her countertops in her kitchen as a baby step for making a larger color change in the kitchen. She calls it her "everything" room.

I met her because she wanted help making a selection. She has ruled out granite and stone as too costly, but I pointed her to the new laminate alternatives that mimic travertine and natural stone, an upscale look she fancied from design blogs she follows.  We settled on Golden Travertine premium laminate from Wilsonart because it was a mid-range color, which would not show as much dirt as a very light color or as a very dark one. That was the easy part. . . now she faces which edge treatment is the most kid-friendly.  Barbara will do her online research and read reviews before making up her mind.

I have full confidence that she has made a good decision, and the downtime in her kitchen is really a few hours of inconvenience and disruption when the new counter surface is installed for a dramatic transformation. The Frugal Mom wins again!