Area rugs. They are the foundation for almost any room design. We recently went in search of the perfect area rug to complete a sophisticated, warm, neutral living room design. One of our favorite haunts for area rugs is
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Trade Secrets: 4 Ways to Transform your Space with Paint
Well, it's groundhog day and apparently we have 6 more weeks of winter. Honestly, no matter what the furry rodent says, we in New England KNOW that winter weather is capricious right up to (and sometimes into!) May. But spring is coming...eventually!
The good news? Trapped inside during winter is the perfect time to spruce up your house in time for the spring flurry (no pun intended) of activities. And one of the most effective ways to make changes is with paint.
There are many places where new paint will make a big difference:
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Fresh Year, Fresh Start
The holiday decorations are finally all packed up until next year. And now is the time to turn our attention to organizing and freshening our homes. Here are three small changes with big impact that will breathe new life into your rooms:
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Tips for Beautiful Holiday Packages
It's no secret that I LOVE the holidays with all the beautiful lights and decorations and wonderful food! But as a designer, color is one of the first things my eye sees and I have a need for my holiday decor to blend seamlessly with my home decor. I addition to the tree, garland, and wreath ornaments and ribbons, I also like to color coordinate my packages under the tree. Beautifully wrapped packages are a lovely holiday tradition, and thoughtful packaging is as important as the gift inside!
Here are some suggestions for upping your gift packaging game:
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Seen Around Town: Occasional Tables
Recently, we have been investigating living room tables...that backbone of creating a functional living space...a place to put your drink, or book, or remote control, or table lamp, or whatever makes the room work for you!
We have come across an interesting variety of cocktail, end, wine, and console tables. Many have a mix of finishes that make them not only interesting pieces, but a nice opportunity to tie in other elements in the room for a more cohesive feel without the boredom of 'matched to death' suites of furniture.
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Seen Around Town: Stunning Chandeliers and Lanterns
For many of our design projects, we need to specify new lighting. Recently, we have been on the hunt for chandeliers and lanterns and wanted to share some of our finds!
Trying to avoid another fussy crystal or ubiquitous barrel stave chandelier we found these classic alternatives to be a refreshing change.
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The Well-Designed Room
A well-designed room is alchemy…part science and part art.
Sure, we want our rooms to look good, but more importantly, we want them to be comfortable – to LIVE well. And the essence of comfort in a room is feeling good there. Comfort is about more than the cushion fill in the sofa. It also includes the convenience and functionality and welcoming FEEL of the space. Good design serves the occupants of the room, not the other way around.
Whether starting from scratch or reworking existing spaces, here are a few essential processes and principles:
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High Style, Low Maintenance
Low maintenance…we appreciate it in our relationships, but we adore it in our interiors! As long as we can get great style, low maintenance versions of natural materials are an enticing alternative.
I love natural materials but they require extra care – they are susceptible to staining, fading, scratching, and wear. Sometimes we just don’t have the time or patience or lifestyle (or house denizens!) to accommodate the care often required by natural products.
Luckily, technology is keeping pace and there are now products available that imitate nature well, but are MUCH easier to keep looking good.
Here are 3 of our favorites:
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Trade Secrets: Do's and Don'ts for Hanging Draperies
Trade Secrets: the do’s and don’ts of hanging draperies
It has come to my attention that in the wonderful world of decorators, most have jumped on the bandwagon of "hang ‘em high". I refer to, of course, the trend to hang the curtain rod for drapery panels well above the window to elongate the proportions in a room. And this does, in fact, work. BUT… like most things, this cannot be applied universally willy-nilly.
The advice is grounded in the notion that a longer line creates an unbroken vertical that makes the perceived height of the room taller. And while this is absolutely true, there are caveats.
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Is a chaise sofa the best solution?
Whenever we start a project, one of the first things we need to determine is how the room will be used, how many people will be using it at a time, and what are the possible needs we should consider when selecting and arranging the pieces for the room. And with the multipurpose spaces like the “great rooms” that are breeding in new construction and rehabs like rabbits, many rooms need to have the flexibility to serve a lot of functions. After all, if a room doesn’t function comfortably and well, what good is it? We WANT you to love your room and that means it needs to work perfectly as well as look good doing it!
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Should I hire an interior designer?
Should I hire an interior designer?
The short answer is YES. If you want to ...
Save time
A designer should have the experience and know-how to diagnose what is bugging you about your house and come up with several possible solutions tailored exactly to your situation. OR you can spend your precious free time scouring websites and magazine articles looking for someone with your exact design dilemma who found a viable solution you like and then assessing all the options for implementing it and trying to figure out which is the best real value. The choice is yours, of course.
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Designer Spam
Designer SPAM…
So, I know everyone gets spam emails, but designers get very specific spam email! This one has been circulating amongst designers for a while and I was just beginning to feel left out when, lo and behold, THIS appeared in my inbox…
I feel it is my duty as a designer to point out some glaring problems with Mary and her design sense – not to mention her spamming IQ…
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