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Bath Design Tips to Enable Aging in Place
More and more clients are asking me to design baths that allow for greater accessibility and safety. People really do want to think ahead and plan for the day when everyday tasks become much harder, or when an aging parent comes to live with them. Even the most able-bodied among us can be stricken at any time with a broken leg, a debilitating illness or any variety of unforeseen circumstances. [...]
Extra Bedroom Becomes Family Hang-out Space
These clients had an underutilized upstairs bedroom, outfitted with a small desk, a loveseat, and a TV in the closet. They challenged me to create a space where they all could be together, helping their young son with homework, surfing the internet, reading, and watching television. On their wish list: a large TV and comfortable seating area, two separate work spaces, ample storage for books and miscellaneous items, better lighting, [...]
2020 Color of the Year
As long as I could remember, blue has been my favorite color. I love all shades of blue, but in particular, I love deep, intense blues like navy, royal, and cobalt. Blue is an amazingly versatile color, perhaps because it is the color of the sky and the ocean, which coordinate with just about every other color around. Throw on a pair of blue jeans, and you can wear any [...]
Favorite Design Projects of 2019
With this first column of the year, I thought I’d share with you four of my favorite design projects from 2019, and what I like most about them. They all came out beautifully, capturing the needs and wants of the clients, and each space has its own unique personality. Perhaps they will inspire you for your own projects in 2020. Sleek and Modern Master Bath What I love about it: [...]
Solving Problems with Interior Design
[st_row][st_column][st_text id_wrapper="text_17b632cad77309106c7028d832e24334" ]It’s definitely true that interior design involves selecting beautiful tiles and paint colors. However, keeping the bigger picture in mind, interior design is really about problem-solving. How can I improve the lighting in this bathroom? How can multiple cooks use this kitchen? How can I work from home effectively? How can my elderly mother bathe safely? With every job, clients pose challenges, and it’s up to the designer [...]
Friendly Advice for Tackling Design Projects
Before HGTV came on the scene in 1994, most people picked their own paint colors, bought their own furniture, and selected their own bathroom tile. Some were very successful; others, not so much. Then came the avalanche of design shows, and pretty soon, we were all benefiting from the talents of the professional stromectol get designers we were seeing on TV. Because I had been interested in interiors since I [...]
Use Color to Create the Right Mood in Your Home
How do you feel when you walk into a red room? How about a green room? You’re not alone if you feel calmer surrounded by blues and greens, or more confident when wearing black. The subject of color psychology is fascinating. As we all might guess, color can have a profound effect on our mood, whether it’s in something we wear, or in our homes. Red—exudes excitement and energy, [...]
Stylish, Yet Easy-to-Maintain Showers
“How can I have ambien a bathroom that’s beautiful but still easy to clean?” This question comes up frequently when I speak with clients about their bath projects. The good news is that there are solutions! By far, the most popular surface for shower walls is tile. In the world of tile there are literally thousands of options—from natural stone, to ceramic, to glass, to porcelain. Regardless of the [...]
Favorite Design Projects of 2018
Please enjoy this collection of some of my favorite design projects from this year, and what I like most about them. They all came out beautifully, capturing the needs and wants of the clients, and each space has its own unique personality. Perhaps they will inspire you for your own projects get antabuse in 2019. Parisian-Inspired Kitchen Why I love it: The kitchen has so much personality, with display [...]
Is your home ready for guests?
My husband and I recently returned from a long-awaited vacation to New Zealand to celebrate our 30-year wedding anniversary (yes—the scenery really is as spectacular as you imagine!) We stayed in four different hotels over the 12 days, and the designer in me couldn’t help but notice not only the room decor, but also the amenities provided to make us feel comfortable. Many of you will be hosting guests over [...]
The 7 Elements of Interior Design
Interior design is an art as well as a science, encompassing so much more than the visible, tangible items in the room, such as the sofa, the lamp and the drapes. Those items are important components to the finished room, of course, but there is so much more to it. Before the designer can get to selecting those items, he or she must step back, evaluate the entire space, and [...]
Play by the Rules when Remodeling your Bathroom
As regular readers of this column know, I design baths and kitchens for a living. By now, although it’s hard to come up with an exact figure, the number of baths and kitchens I’ve worked on is well into the triple digits. Over the years, the state of California has tightened up requirements on what is deemed acceptable for residential construction, particularly in the areas of water and electricity usage. [...]
Can’t decide on rustic or modern decor? Use both
If you’ve been paying attention, you have probably noticed an immensely popular design trend called “Rustic Modern” all around us. It involves combining clean, modern lines with more rustic, earthy, organic elements. What do I mean by rustic elements? Examples are reclaimed wood beams, or distressed wood floors, or chunky, hand-crafted furniture. In my mind, rustic means it’s got some history to it; maybe the item is handed down from [...]
The Battle Between Form and Function in Bath Design
Recently, my husband and I traveled to Florida to visit our son. We splurged on a nice hotel, with a room overlooking the beautiful Atlantic ocean. The view was indeed beautiful, but the bathroom, however, while attractive to look at, was very poorly designed. I design bathrooms for a living, and have certainly learned a few things along the way about the battle between form and function. In my opinion, [...]
Personalizing Your Kitchen
The most rewarding part of designing kitchens is customizing the design to fit the individual needs of each client. Interior design is about creating beautiful spaces, certainly. But more importantly, it is about creating spaces that work well and improve the quality of life of the clients. The kitchen is truly the heart of the home, so why not create yours to be as personal as possible? Why not include [...]
Master Bath Gets a Stunning Modern Makeover
This bath project was a pleasure to design— it’s a spectacular blend of form and function, delivered with a punch of vibrant color, and an interesting mix of textures. I work with and appreciate all design styles, but my prednisone online favorite style is modern. I love the clean lines and simple, minimalistic aesthetic. Modern design allows the freedom to combine colors and materials like these— hand-maid glossy ceramic tiles [...]
Inspiration for Your Tired Fireplace
Is your fireplace tired and dated? If so, then a fireplace makeover may be in your future. Sometimes the fix is very simple— several coats of white paint on old bricks or a worn oak mantel is often enough to give the fireplace a fresh new look. But sometimes a more dramatic change is desired. If that’s the case for you, your only limitations are your imagination, and of course, [...]
Don’t Drive Yourself Crazy Chasing Design Trends
Every year, there are countless articles about what’s in and what’s out in interior design. Professional forecasters and trend-spotters steer us into selecting things that they deem are “on trend” for any number of reasons. Please don’t get me wrong— there is such a thing as outdated decor (I’m thinking back to my own first condo in the late 1980s with the blue geese artwork!) But, while I read all [...]
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