Decorating During Life Crisis – A Bad Move

If you are contemplating a decorating project while also dealing with a high stress life situation, I want you to Stop and Back Away from the Fabric Deck. Let’s face, for most of us, sometimes Life hands you a load of lemons in a big carton labeled “This cycle is going to suck, but you…

Bad Idea: Working with an Interior Designer in Secret

I had an interesting, “teaching moment” phone call from a prospective client that made me think: “Blog post!” This lovely person called and complimented me, saying she had seen me give a design trend presentation and was “very excited to work with me.” How lovely. Then she let slip that her project would be “a…

Screwed By Your Sofa

Haveyou ever purchased a piece of furniture that – after a few years of wear – or maybe less, just completely tanked on you? The finish chipped. The doors or drawers stopped working right, or never did in the first place. The upholstery seams opened up. The leather flaked. The cushions flattened into sad looking…

Dumb Interior Design

Ok, listen girls. You are too smart to do Dumb Design. You are a decorating lover, a design watcher, a DIY-er type or a Hire-A-Designer gal. You are a smart cookie in all areas of your Life, so why throw that away in an HGTV-Blog-a-liscious-HOUZZ-delighted stuper? I saY YES to HGTV and I say YES…

Unable to Make Decorating Decisions?

So listen, this post could also have been titled, “’Blank’ or Get Off the Sofa.” I keep hearing people complain about “Taking 6 months to pick out a rug” (it shouldn’t) or “2 years to pick out a sofa” (Holy Cow) or “Staying up at night vacillating over paint colors” (Please no!). I’m here to…

Are People Bothered By Their Homes and Furnishings?

Investing wisely in your home’s design and in the furnishings you purchase for that home should not be negotiable. Design is a gift when done wisely and well, yet the losses are great when it is not. Protecting and guiding design clients and design consumers everywhere is not just a passion for me – it’s…

Top 10 Luxury Interior Design “Must Haves”

There was a great article in the Wall Street Journal recently about the high end London real estate market. Whatever image comes to your mind when I say “high end” – go higher. No, higher. According to the WSJ, there is sales figure history being made in London when it comes to higher-than-high end real…

Design Excitement at the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse

What do you get when you combine a team of tour-de-force designers with a stunning piece of architecture and healthy budgets (and sure…industry pull and relationships to get “the good stuff” shipped in an installed in about 3 hours – OK…7 weeks…). You get a sensational showing for the 2014 Kips Bay Show House! This…

Interior Design Dollars: How Much Is $5,000 Really Worth?

Five grand sounds like a lot of money, doesn’t it? If it fell out of your wallet, you’d sure feel like you’d just lost a lot of money. And you’d be right. But, 5 G’s in interior design doesn’t go as far as most people think it will (or should). Particularly in luxury or high…

Bathroom Design Trends to Bet On in 2014

Listen up interior design lovers and design consumers. If you’ve got an itch that involves updating or gutting a bath in 2014, take a deep breath, find a great team and consider these bathroom room design trends to bet on in 2014. This Tubs For You: The stand-alone tub continues to be strong. Thanks to…