Designer of the Year Awards Backstage Thoughts

And the winner is…. So, first let me say that my kids are both competitive recreational dancers and have often heard my misgivings about competitions and awards in the arts! Seriously, art is so varied and nuanced that it’s an apples to orange comparison. Yes, I have the same misgivings about design awards. My first…

Room in a Box: Coastal Sunroom

Still saving up for that cottage at the cape? This Coastal-Inspired Sunroom is the next best thing. We began the space by coating the walls in a soothing grey. We then added a stately sofa upholstered in pinstripe fabric along with a stylish tufted cocktail ottoman. A capiz shell side table sits between two white…

What’s More Important: Decorating Talent or Technique?

What do you think is more important in design: Talent or Technique? The answers is simple (and one I think you’ll like!) and I reveal it in this month’s video.

Furniture History…For Your Home Today?

As hard as it is to believe, the furniture you love and buy today, whether from favorite catalogers, on-line resources or stores near you…all of the furniture…has its roots somewhere else. Like…a long time ago-somewhere-else. Furniture designers today routinely look to the past for their inspiration, make a turn or a twist here, adapt something…

April Decorating Savvy Checklist

Lists are the wind that gets anything moving in design – or life. We are big list lovers here! To help you create that great-looking home and life you’re after, enjoy this month Decorating Savvy Checklist: Select even one of the actions you can take THIS month to make immediate improvements to your nest and…

5 Bedroom Design Tips to Help During Life’s Stressful Times

“Into every life, some rain must fall.” My mom used to say that. She was right. Loss, stress, illness, family matters, divorce: they hit when you least want or expect it. Worse still, those challenging cycles tend to last longer than you wish they would (Like…more than 30 seconds). So, if you’re stressing or hurting…

Wallpaper Gets Uber Cool Thanks to History?

OK TIDA peeps, I’m taking you behind the scenes of industry leading wallpaper restoration group, Antoinette Poisson, based in Paris. The reason I look like the cat who ate the mouse is because I just saw what they were up to inside! Come take a look. Here’s a 17th century paper being restored as an art…

Room in a Box: Mad Men Man Cave

For most, the term “man-cave” elicits thoughts of dark colors and over-sized leather upholstery. This month, we drew inspiration from one of the most stylish men of fiction, Don Draper, to help us prove that a man cave can be masculine without looking like a college dorm room. To start, we selected a grey tailored…

TIDA Peep Question: What’s That Paint Color?

Hi Donna, Happy New Year! Thank you for sharing your design expertise. Your work is magnificent, so classy! I enjoy reading your Design Wise emails and watching your design advocate videos. I just love the color of the paint in your living room. It is so warm and elegant. Would you share the color? Warm…

March Decorating Savvy Checklist

My husband’s grandmother was a big list maker. Unfortunately, I only knew her for a few short years after we married. She was adorable and made a to-do list each night before she went to bed. As the story goes, her lists would always begin with the same item #1: Wake up! (So cute, right?)…

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