The outdoor living season has nothing at all to do with a calendar. It starts the first day that the cover is thrown off the grill and the outdoor furniture is returned to its righteous position of importance. May 2013 has been kind to us, so I declare that the season of enjoying the outdoor space has begun. When this [...]
I hear this frequently: I have kids and or pets so I don’t want to spend much on a sofa. When you see the ad for sofas that retail for the amazing price of $999, you can be confident that you are purchasing some of the most expensive cardboard, particleboard, glue, staples and low-grade foam ever, and that is the [...]
Greetings from High Point, North Carolina, home of the largest home furnishings market in the world where an optimistic economic psyche is apparent. For six marathon days, this sleepy town extends small-town hospitality to more than 80,000 home furnishing retailers and designers as they preview the trends for the next six months of the home interior industry. This semi annual [...]
Sleek window treatments are winning the popular vote. Heavy jabots and swags are on hold while the cleaner lines of panels take center stage. Sleek should not be confused with plain and boring. Just as Jacqueline Onassis could dress capris and a crisp white blouse with pearls, the svelte panels of 2013 can be embellished with understatement. Solid silks and [...]
Each and every interior design project has a budget, and that budget has absolutely nothing to do with money. A harmonious space is a careful allocation of color, scale, proportion, balance, pattern and texture. The successful path to a well decorated room spends the “budget” thoughtfully. The quickest route to a DIY decorating disaster is to consider each element independently [...]
If you are not in the mood for nagging, move on to the next page. Yep, I am about to go into a mom, wife, OSHA inspector-type tirade. Please, please, please heed those tired, worn out warnings about safety in the home. You have heard it a million times; make sure rugs are secure, make sure you have safety cords [...]
Trend spotters agree: Chevron is hot. Although the history of the “zig-zag” is quite august, this v-shaped pattern has stormed the landscape of fashion, pop-culture and interior design. The clean lineation of the Chevron has historically been found in badges and insignia used in military or official uniforms to indicate rank or length of service. It was used in heraldry [...]
If you are not in the mood for nagging, move on to the next page. Yep, I am about to go into a mom, wife, OSHA inspector-type tirade. Please, please, please heed those tired, worn out warnings about safety in the home. You have heard it a million times; make sure rugs are secure, make sure you have safety cords [...]
If you are not in the mood for nagging, move on to the next page. Yep, I am about to go into a mom, wife, OSHA inspector-type tirade. Please, please, please heed those tired, worn out warnings about safety in the home. You have heard it a million times; make sure rugs are secure, make sure you have safety cords [...]
I couldn’t agree more with Clairee, in “Steel Magnolias,” when she declared, “The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize.” A room that has the correct foundation but lacks interest is generally a room in need of touches that can come only from just the right accessory. I recently overheard a designer use the [...]
