Room To Talk Blog

Thanks to our partnership with Citywide Home Loans, we had the opportunity to do a top-to-bottom makeover of the Tapia family’s home in West Jordan, Utah, just in time for Christmas. Jacklyn and Brandon Tapia have two very sweet daughters: Ava, who is five years old, and Emma who is twenty months old. Emma was born with a rare brain disorder called lissencephaly. Emma’s brain is smooth instead of having the traditional bumpy structure of the brain. The result is that Emma has seizures every day and she will not mature beyond the mental age of five or six months. Her body will grow, but her brain will not develop beyond that of a very young baby. She is on medication to help control the seizures and has a feeding tube. She can’t hold her head up so her family holds her or puts her in her “stander” which allows her body to be upright.

Jacklyn and Brandon juggle work schedules so that one of them is always with Emma. Jacklyn is a part-time kindergarten teacher and Brandon works graveyard shifts. Their goal is to create a normal life for both of their daughters. They juggle crazy schedules and heavy emotional and time-consuming caretaking. Through all of it, there are a ton of smiles. They talk about how lucky they are to have two sweet daughters and how blessed they are. 

The Tapia home was selected out of the Channel 4 nominations.  Ali Monson, a reporter for Good4Utah, followed the story which you can see here.

Together with Citywide Home Loans we hope we can make life a little bit easier and more comfortable for the Tapia family so they can enjoy all the great times their children bring into their lives. 

I have had the opportunity to real world test the LG Puricare Air Purifier for about a month now and I don't want to give it back.

Salt Lake City is known for a lot of great things but one of our biggest issues each year is seasonal air pollution which we call the inversion. Since most of our population lives in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains, it makes it hard for the daily pollution to sneak out of the soup bowl we live in during the winter. This has led many of us to look for indoor air pollution filters to give us peace of mind while we hunker down indoors waiting for the inversion to clear. 

Last year I tried an indoor air purifier much like you see in hospital rooms. It was an obtrusive manilla box that looked like computers in the 90's. It didn't give you any assurance that anything was happening other than the fact that it was on and sounded like a fan. This was my main complaint. How do I know if it is working? How can it prove to me that the air is cleaner? 

This is where LG has raised the bar. LG's solution is a simple Red/Orange/Yellow/Green indicator light. When the air is dirty in your room, the light will go to red and as the air is cleaned the color lightens until it is green. You can also see what type of particles the purifier is filtering (PM 1.0, 2.5, 10) since each city has it's own particulate issues. 

Another thing to note about the LG PuriCare Air Purifier is it looks good. It's about the size of a smaller box fan but has a modern spun metal disk on the front. As someone who has had a box fan in his bedroom for longer than I care to admit, I vastly prefer the look of this device over the dorm-style LASKO fan that I shamefully hide when friends come over.

At the end of the day, a device like this just gives you peace of mind. Once it is setup and turned on, you just see this quiet device sitting in the corner with a happy green light and you think to yourself how great it is that you have clean air. Then 5 minutes later your wife starts blow drying her hair and the PM counter jumps from 8 to 245 and the light shines blood red and you find yourself so appalled that your air in your home could be so dirty from all the dust blowing around. But, about 20 minutes later, the light turns green again. Then your kid runs in and starts beating you with a pillow and the light goes up to yellow or even orange when you decide to pop her with a shot or two in an impromptu pillow fight. A few minutes later the light is green again. I became fascinated with this indicator light, knowing it was going to change from green to yellow as I shuffled into the room and just being happy that we were doing what we could to have the cleanest air in our home no matter what was going on outside. At least we could control that. 

If cleaner indoor air is on your mind check out the LG PuriCare Air Purifier or the Dyson Pure Series at RC Willey. 

We have successfully completed another Makeover from the Heart with Citywide Home Loans and KUTV CBS 2. 

A family friend nominated the Robinson family from West Jordan for a home makeover. Last year, Jaren was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). He recently received chemotherapy and in August had a stem cell transplant. His immune system is compromised and he’s been in the hospital for over a month. He hopes to be able to recuperate at home very soon. However, their home needed some updates to make it healthy for him to recover. We created a home theater makeover to give the Robinson’s a nice place to enjoy family movie nights while Jaren recuperates. “The Robinson family is a very kind and loving family and an integral part of our community,” said the person who nominated them. “They are the first to lend a hand helping in any capacity. They are a very well-deserving family and are sure to pay it forward.” 

We are thrilled with the relationship with have with Citywide Home Loans and KUTV Channel 2 and their willnessness to give back as we all go the extra mile. Also big thanks to our employees for putting in some serious hours after work to make this happen. Stay tuned for more updates as more makeovers are completed! Look below for some awesome before and afters!

Please join us each Saturday in December before Christmas, from Noon-4PM, for free photos with Santa at your local RC Willey. We have a great setup where we can take your photo or you can use your own cameraphone as well! We will also have free hot dogs and drinks, and you will leave with a quality printed photo of you & Santa. Just another way to wrap up your holidays with RC Willey! 

RC Willey is excited to announce that we are carrying ORCA coolers and drinkware. ORCA coolers and drinkware far surpass your everyday ice chest or to-go cup. They are proudly made in the USA and an ORCA cooler can hold ice for up to 10 days, which makes it great for camping or hitting the lake. 

I have personally tested a 27 ounce ORCA Chaser cup and I was blown away by how cold my ice water stayed. It measured at a consistent 31.9 degrees for at least 6 hours even as I added more water throughout the day. When I woke up the next morning and the ice had melted the water temp was still in the low 40's - so if you demand an icy cold beverage this cup is for you! 

ORCA Chasers are BPA free and are made of tough stainless steel. They fit in most cupholders and come in a variety of colors and styles. They also keep hot drinks hot as seen in our own test below!

Also, ORCA coolers are bear proof...for real.

Did you know every RC Willey has a Red Tag Clearance Center? It's true! If you are looking for one of a kind merchandise, scratch and dents, or clearance items with out-of-this-world pricing, you need to visit the Red Tag Clearance Center ASAP! Our clearance centers get merchandise daily, from sofas and sectionals to mattresses and bedroom furniture and if you really want to save some money look for the items with a red tag hanging on them. Those are the items that our managers really want to get rid of to make room for new clearance items. Remember, stock changes daily, so make sure you visit often and don't hesitate to buy because once it's gone it might never come back! 

Veterans Day is just around the corner and we wanted to take the opportunity to honor a local veteran, so when Citywide Home Loans asked us to join them in their annual Makeovers From The Heart event, we were excited to help out! 

A little backstory...In 2014, the good people at Citywide Home Loans decided to forgo their annual Christmas party and take the money they would have spent on it to help families in need with home makeovers. In 2015 they wanted a partner to provide furniture, electronics and flooring for all the home makeovers and RC Willey took the opportunity to furnish 11 homes for the nominated families. 

Which brings us to this year and a third partner, KSTU FOX 13. Through a nomination process, the Farnsworth's were nominated by their grandfather as a deserving family of a home makeover. The Farnsworth family includes Joel, a veteran of the U.S. Navy, Sarah his wife, and all their wonderful children. This military family is always helping others and was delighted to work alongside our contractors to help update their home. We initially were just going to do a kitchen remodel but we couldn't help ourselves and the project expanded to give them many updates including new carpet, paint inside and out, new windows, kitchen appliances, countertops in the kitchen and bathroom, a new dining set, beautiful sectional, new front door, a family TV and new bedroom sets/mattresses in every bedroom. Check out the before and after pics as well as the reveal video below!

Here's the kitchen makeover which Joel Farnsworth tiled himself!

The family room makeover...

The bathroom makeover!

An awesome boy's room makeover

A cute girl's room makeover with bunk beds

A nursery makeover for a little boy

A great teen bedroom makeover

And a master bedroom makeover for a busy Mom and Dad

The downstairs den makeover for the whole family to enjoy

The Farnsworth family is so gracious and Joel has already asked to volunteer on helping out another deserving family in the future. Take a moment to watch the video reveal below and if you'd like to join us in Makeovers With A Heart we would love to have your help! And thanks again to Citywide Home Loans for starting this annual event, inviting us to help, and for all the help FOX 13 has given us along the way. 

Via Pinterst

 With Halloween behind us, Thanksgiving 2016 will be here before we know it. That means it is time to start thinking menus, decorations, and how to fit more people around your dining room table!

Via Elle Decor 

Table centerpieces are always a lovely addition to any event and Thanksgiving is definitely the Super Bowl of dinner events! It can help set the mood for your meal as much as it is a fun way to be creative and express yourself. It really helps to make the overall event memorable and leaves a lasting impression.

Via Pinterest

 The great thing is, making a centerpiece doesn’t have to be complicated or cost a fortune. With a little imagination, some stuff you already have at home (think candles, fruit, and fall leaves) and a trip to the craft store, you can create a gorgeous table where all of your family and friends can gather and make new memories.

Via Country Living

 RC Willey also has great accesories like trays and candles that can help you put a gorgeous table together. After Thanksgiving is over, you can make good use of them in other areas of your home!

Via Good Housekeeping

Via Pinterest

A sectional is a great piece to add to your home. Not only does it provide seating for many people, it can serve as the perfect design element. Sectionals today aren’t what they were years ago. You can find one in any style, color or fabric imaginable. They also come in many different shapes and sizes. So, don’t shy away from creating the living room you love to live in with a sectional as the anchoring piece.

via pinterest

Sectionals are the perfect way to help define the space in a large open concept home. When you have one large great room it can be difficult to create unique living spaces within the large space. A beautiful sectional can anchor your space and help create the mood and feel you want in your home.

They are also great for smaller spaces; you only need to find the one that works for your room. Some styles actually take up less room than a sofa and chair. Get the right configuration and it can provide your room with better flow and the appearance of a larger space.

via hgtv

RC Willey has a variety of sectionals to choose from  -- all sizes and types of upholstery. So jump in with both feet and find a sectional for your home that will have you enjoying the look and feel of your home for years.

It’s that time of year! In every grocery store and farmer’s market around the country you’ll be able to find piles and piles of pumpkins of every shape, size, and color. As kids we would go pick out a few of the biggest ones that we could find, hollow them out and carve whatever our imaginations could come up with into the front face and put them out on our door step to show them off.

While that is always a must around this time of year it is not the only fun that our families can have with pumpkins. There are just as fun and creative ways to make the pumpkin the center piece inside of our homes or outside on the porch. All you need are a few markers, some paint, glitter and a little bit of time to get your home 100 percent ready for fall.

Painted Funky Pumpkins

As shown above you can still have all the fun that you did as a kid when decorating pumpkins but without the mess of cutting them open and getting rid of all the seeds and pulp.

Materials:

• Small to Medium sized pumpkins
• Paint in the desired colors
• Glitter paint (for the stems)
• 2 or more paint brushes (use different brushes when using glitter paint vs pumpkin paint)

Directions:

• Wash and dry your pumpkins to remove any dirt or grime
• Pour glitter paint into a tray or a plate and paint the stems first and allowed time to dry
• Once the paint on the stems is dry pour pumpkin paint into a separate tray and apply to the pumpkin in long even stroke (allow time to dry for multiple layers or multiple colors)

Basic Glitter Pumpkin

For those that don’t the mess of paint these pumpkins make the perfect accent to any Fall center piece.

Materials:

• Small sized pumpkins
• Glue
• Glitter
• Paint brush

Directions:

• Wash and dry the pumpkins to give the glue a clean base to dry on
• Using the paint brush apply the glue in a thin layer onto the pumpkins on the areas that you wish to apply the glitter (make sure the layer is thin enough to not form “globs” yet sufficiently thick enough to hold the glitter)
• Wait for the glue to settle

Paint and Marker Pumpkin

Materials:

• Medium to Large sized pumpkins
• Paint
• Permanent makers
• Pencil/pen
• Stencils (optional)

Directions:

• Wash and dry pumpkins
• Paint the stems and allow time to dry (choose a color that will contrast the main color that you will paint the body of the pumpkin)
• Once the stems are dry apply your base color to the rest of the pumpkin and allow time to dry
• When the paint is dry use a pencil or pen to lightly sketch your desired design onto the pumpkin
• When satisfied with the design use the permanent markers to go over your sketch