The design collaboration of Elisa Allen and Matt MacEachern featured in New England Home caught my eye as I dream about summer vacations and the quaint villages of New England. If you have been to Nantucket you already know what a treasure it is sitting among the islands of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Let’s face it, many of us would love to have that fabulous front porch or grand staircase to dress up this time of year with beautiful flowers and potted plants but it isn’t always the case. Styling your stoop can be as simple as changing your front door color and adding some potted plants or as elaborate as changing your lighting fixtures and sprucing up stone work. I’ve received so many requests this week for ways to style a stoop and I am happy to share ways to enhance curb appeal creating a warm welcome for your guests. Read more
I am a huge fan of window seats and have designed dozens of them for my clients. The two questions that my clients often ask are; how will it be designed and where will it go? The basic design of any window seat looks similar to this one pictured above. The simplest, most cost effective way is to construct a box, add a door and hinges to the top, add panels to the front, trim and base molding. Design details to address (1) The face; recessed or raised panels, bead board, open shelves, doors or drawers? (2) How will you access the storage inside; a door on top of the seat or from the front which we just touched on. (3) The base; to the floor or a toe kick (open space)? (4) The top; will it have a cushion, a decorative slab of wood on top and will it need to open? Read more
Wednesdays are the day I take to answer reader design dilemmas and I have to say it is such a fun day. I just love the combination of working with my design clients and then helping hundreds of readers weekly in Just Ask, so send your questions in friends. Today we are talking about entryways, staircases and railings.
Q. We are building a new home and I “think” I want an interesting railing but my husband wants basic spindles, help! We both agree on white wood spindles with a stained wood hand rail. Roxanne Read more
Happy weekend friends, with Valentines Day right around the corner I have hearts on my mind. I wanted to share some of my hip heart finds that I will be making, wearing and decorating with. Above, these sweet little trousers can be found on Esty or you could create them on your own. Below, a simple heart pillow created by Noodlehead can add just the right amount of Valentines Day wow factor you are looking for. If you sew the tutorial walks you through each step here, my daughter Sarah is making one for me shhhh it’s a surprise. She sews way better than me. Read more
This time of year for interior designers is like tax season for accountants. I have several homes that need to be ready for Thanksgiving and even more clients that have installations and furniture deliveries before Christmas and Hanukkah. Although crazy busy, it is crazy fun and with the holidays just a few weeks away its time to take stock of what I need for entertaining, lets get started.
It is so much fun answering your design questions in Just Ask and it is especially fun when several people ask a question about the same topic. This week I received five questions all about staircases and how to utilize the space underneath. Is it safe to do, tacky to do, ugly to do, pretty to do and a good idea to do? I picked the question that basically covers all of the design options regarding this topic (they also complimented me, hehehe) and I hope this provides the inspiration needed to make dead space into functional space.
Q. We are building a new home and are pretty much set with the plans except for the entrance foyer. The home is not huge so I want every bit of space to be functional and fabulous. That is where you come in; I am crazy for your blog and I know you will give me some good ideas of what I can do under the staircase. Read more
I am obsessed with exposing brick when designing interiors. It doesn’t matter if the environment is modern or traditional the earthy character and warmth it can bring to a space is unmatched. In essence exposing brick is like adding an accent wall or a wow factor into your design. It blends with any color scheme, instantly adds a cool factor to your space and you can hang whatever you want on it (how to hang; read here). Above this work space shows how brick can even work when incorporating alittle shabby chic vibe and pastel hues. Read more
