Home with Dean Sharp

California is HOT! There's no question about that, especially right now... So why do we even have fireplaces in California?! And why are they still being designed into homes? It's because fire is powerful magic -- and always has been. AND, it's kind of like your appendix! Dean explains it all during today's show... Listen here!

Apart from Light and Air, there is nothing more central to a home than Water... But water is both our friend and enemy.
Today Dean takes us inside the world of water systems, as well as the water problems that come along with them. And of course, he takes some of your calls! Listen here.

House staging is an application of good design to tell an aspirational story about the kind of life that can be lived in a space... The main goal is for potential buyers to “see themselves living there.” Today Dean talks about the goals of good staging, the mindset you should have, and as always, he takes some of your calls live on air!

Even though our post-pandemic future is still very uncertain, there does seem to be some enthusiasm when it comes to the real estate market!

Today Dean dives deep into the current seller's market, why interest rates are soooo good, and of course he takes some of your calls!

Have you ever heard of an accessory dwelling unit?! Maybe you've heard it called a guest house, granny house, man cave, etc... But it's basically a separate, smaller unit on a property.

Dean talks all things ADUs this episode, and gives some tips on how to set up your own. Listen here!

Dean talks all things kitchen cabinets this morning, and is even joined by one of the amazing designers from The Kitchen Store! Plus, Dean takes some of your calls. Listen here.

On today's show, Dean talks all things water heaters! Install tips, how to flush, why your water is smelly, and MUCH more. Listen here!

Today Dean talked all things toilets! He can help you figure out all of the things you need to know before you buy a toilet, and how to know if you're getting a good one. Listen here!

Today’s thought was a tough one only because I have so very many things weighing on my mind and heart this week it was hard to single out just one. There’s a word for that—confusion—yes, that’s it. I’ve had a lot of confusion lately and confusion is never a comfortable state of being, is it?

And to add insult to injury, if I have any natural gifts (which around here is an ongoing matter of debate) then one of them would definitely be what some call “connectedness,” or to put it another way, the ability to perceive connections between seemingly disparate things. I’m the “because a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazon a hurricane hits the east coast” guy. Someone like me never has to have a religion tell me that “everything is one.” For me that’s just Tuesday.

Now, true confessions, this connectedness thing is one of the reasons why as a designer it sometimes looks like I’m pulling off magic tricks when I come into your home and “solve” the riddle of your design problems. One of my clients was just talking about this. You invite me in to somehow make the kitchen better and a half an hour later I’m standing in the driveway trying to explain why the real issue is the mailbox is the wrong color.

So here’s the problem with connectedness. It’s about juggling a lot of information all at the same time. And when there are a lot of balls in the air it doesn’t take much for order to turn to confusion. And when that happens I, the connectedness guy, I need to throttle back the information flow. It’s probably why Tina and I live, and revel in living, such an intentionally simple, and fairly quiet life. For us, less is usually better. Less is always more.

And I fully admit, such statements reflect first world problems. So I’m trying not to whine about it but I do need to do something about it. Only in times of great abundance do we find ourselves invoking the phrase, “Less is more.”

“Less is more” is all about choosing quality over quantity. It’s about throttling down, filtering, focusing. Is it really any surprise that with the advent of the Information Age came the advent of the Attention Deficit age? Tapping the brakes may be our next great cultural hurdle.

We have this little local newspaper called the Acorn that gets dropped on our driveway. I enjoy reading it over breakfast. Reading newsprint makes me feel like I’m living in a simpler time. The Acorn is only about 12 pages cover to cover, and it struck me this week that before I finished my coffee I actually got to the last page … and then that was it. No more news. The End. It’s as if this little paper was giving me permission to put it down and move on.

That’s not the world we live in. Pick any topic and you can literally fill your life 24/7 with nothing but new information about it. That’s amazing, but it can so quickly consume us.

Next Tuesday is National “Call Before You Dig” day! So on the show today, Dean explains exactly what 811 is with his friend Andy Wells, Chairman of the Board of USA North 811, and more! Listen here.