Sometimes we have to look at our room like we have never met before. We live in our homes every day and often need to step away to get a fresh perspective -the placement of furniture, color on the walls, carpet on the floor. Could being too familiar with your home be holding you back from creating the rooms you really want?

For many of us, it’s hard to make the effort to redecorate because the idea alone exhausts us. We give up before even beginning. This is sad, as our environment should stimulate us and provide us with enjoyment, not be a burden.

Look at 3 easy ways to get yourself out of a funk and get your design mojo on:

Take a break. When I go on vacation, I love the feeling of coming back home and walking into the house. I see the rooms and furnishings differently after a short absence. Sometimes I look around and am pleased, but often I see things that I didn’t notice before; like how a chair fabric takes on a different hue or how the sunlight is washing a wall. Not everyone can take a holiday, but even a small time away, even a work day, can give you the break you need. Play a game with your family. Ask them to  turn away and describe the room. Then have them turn back. What they see when really looking can be very revealing and it may tell you where to start!

Stow it away. There is an old rule that applies to fashion and travel. When you dress in the morning, look in the mirror and remove one accessory. When you pack, take one thing our of the suitcase before closing. In both cases, that extra item wasn’t needed at all. The same thing with interior design. Clutter is the enemy. Over time you may have colleTced one too many vases/pictures/plants. Just by removing that one thing, you have changed the dynamics of the room. One less pillow, one less gift from your Mother-in-Law and eventually you will see the space and shape of the room, not just what’s in it. This is a big move to understand the potential for creating a fresh new space.

Forget the rules. No where is it carved in stone that the bed has to be on the “bed wall” or the cocktail table in front of the sofa. Play with your space, move things around, try seeing your rooms as more than you think they are. Recently a friend bought a small condo with a sleeping alcove but no place for a dining table. We removed the bed, got him a sleeper sofa and made the alcove into a real place for dining. Suddenly he was able to utilize the whole space. When he entertained, he  could accommodate more people. By letting the sofa do double duty, he made three usable areas out of two.. Consider your rooms and what they could be if there weren’t labels attached. Open your mind to what they could be. How fun is that?

By doing these few things, you will be on your way to exciting new rooms and be ready for your best year ever. Any journey begins with the first step. But don’t just take a step.. make the leap!

As we look towards spring and want to shake off winter, thoughts turn to our personal environment: our home. Painting is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to update and refresh.

You’ve probably seen them. People at Home Depot or the local paint store, holding a handful of paint swatches with puzzled looks on their faces. For most of us, selecting a paint color is difficult. Beyond deciding which blue matches your eyes or what green is closest to your daughters bed spread, there is a psychological impact of color in our lives.

Every color we encounter in a space has some impact on how we feel. It can make us feel happy or sad, literally give us a headache or put a warm and fuzzy feeling into our hearts. A recent study by Olympic Paints found that yellow, an old standby for babies rooms, can actually provoke anxiety and babies in yellow nurseries tend to cry more.

Color can affect our appetite, work productivity and even our lovemaking. The saturation or intensity of a color can also alter how you feel. A soft blue can bring back fond memories of childhood while a strong, dark blue can be oppressive.

Don’t let the paint color you choose have the wrong effect. That perfect pink in the store can look like Pepto-Bismal in your bedroom. Terra Cotta might seem the correct selection for that Italian look, but can be dreary and depressing when it surrounds you.

The next time you are stymied and overwhelmed with the choices in the paint department, think beyond what might be neutral or safe, yet remember, color is a psychological tool can can hugely affect your mood and life. Use it well!

On the next post: A Primer On Specific Colors and How They Affect Your Psyche.

Recently I was asked by a client to help with a bathroom remodel they badly needed. We were unable to enlarge the space due to adjoining rooms, but she wanted to know – “How can I make a small space look bigger than it is?”

Bathrooms can be tricky because there is rarely much continuous, uninterrupted space. Mirrors, shower doors, tub and tile surround can all make the room seem cut up. A good solution to this is to use big tiles, 18″ or more, if possible. Keep the grout lines to a minimum and match your grout to your tile for a more cohesive look. Laying tile subway style elongates a room while big squares are currently a trending look. Be careful with mixing patterns. If you like granite counter tops, use a simpler floor tile. I’ve never been a fan of the vessel sink, the ones that sit on top of the vanity. They add another dimension that is just not needed. Use simple, wide porcelain under mount sinks instead, for a classic, lean look.  And always use frameless shower doors. Another easy and effective change, it will modernize your room like nothing else.

Color is important… gaudy colors are not helpful when you first wake up in the morning! Paint your bath a soothing color like ochre, cream or anything organic in base.

Store anything and everything you can away. Cut out niches in the walls make use of even the littlest available space. Stow toiletries away when not in use.  Open shelving lets light through. Remember, clutter is the enemy here.

Here it is, the last day of 2013.  Like every year, it’s over much too fast and so much happened in interior design… so many new thoughts, ideas, concepts and creative ideas.  I can only imagine what the new year will bring… and excited to see where the industry goes and what imaginative and fun rooms we’ll see in 2014.

Here are 3 trends I predict will be big in the new year!

Warmth make a triumphant return: For the past few years we’ve seen Mid Century colors make a huge splash… the lime greens, oranges and bright blues have become ubiquitous.  I hope to see less of these cool colors and warm, homey hues make a comeback.  Look for browns, tans, and khaki to be used in rooms and on walls inside and out.

Getting lost in big upholstery: Big, soft and enveloping furniture will be everywhere.  Sofas that are deep and over stuffed will help us forget the world outside and the stress of life.  We’ll want to sink in and be lost in comfort and tactile fabrics.

Escaping the tech world:  In 2014, there will be a backlash against a TV and internet in every room.  We will find that we need a place to decompress and escape, and there will be a big push for rooms that are tech free… quiet and peaceful.  I’d like to see libraries and rooms for reading and meditation becoming the must have in every home.

Happy New Year in your own space!

The holidays are nearly upon us. As we pull old decorations from storage, it’s a good time to explore the latest design trends to liven up your home and entertaining this year!

3 creative ideas to make this holiday unlike any before:

Tweak your Christmas colors: We all know red and green as the colors of the season. This year explore the whole palette available to you.  Silver and white are very hot this season and always a sharp and sophisticated element to transition into New Years Eve.  Introduce chocolate into your holiday decor.  Not only does it add warmth and modernism to the room, it brings that organic feeling inside.  Keep to tones that suggest a culinary experience, like latte, cocoa or cinnamon.  Use ornaments with stripes, polka dots or abstract designs.

Twist your tree: We all like to unwrap the ornaments and discovering the one that’s been in the family for generations, brought home from vacation or made in grade school.  This year, do something completely unexpected.  Decorate your tree in only one color or with just blue lights.  I’ve seen trees hung from the ceiling upside down, completely covered in high heels or with dog toys. Metallics are a huge trend this season. Revive the pink aluminum tree from the ’60s!  Consider purchasing a live tree in a pot and plant it outside after the holidays.  It’s renewable and enjoyable year around!

Party like it’s 2014: The key word this season is innovation.  Mix things up and keep the energy high.  Throw a costume party and invite guests to come as their favorite holiday character.  Decorate the house in a fiesta theme but make it black tie.  Ask friends and family to bring the tackiest ornament they can find and have a prize for the most outlandish!  Mix and match your dishes and glasses or add tropical prints to the holiday decor.  Put palm fronds in a vase with pine cones and ban poinsettias from the property.

Whatever you do, have fun!  Enjoy the love and laughter of friends and family and happy holidays to all.

In less than a week daylight savings time will end and we’ll be stuck with darkness even before we drive home from work.  This affects us in many ways, one of the worst being depression. Don’t let shorter days and limited light keep you from living!

Capture as much light and sun as possible in these 5 easy ways:

1) Grab a Sunny Spot – Pull your favorite chair up to a window or glass door.  Not only can this be your personal refuge for reading or enjoying the change in seasons, the chair captures warmth from what sun there is and makes you feel comforted and safe. Just 30 minutes a day sitting there will give your body the amount of vitamin C it needs to keep your mind alive.

2) Let the Sun Shine In – Open up the window treatments.  Many of us grew up with the concept that to keep the cold out, close blinds and drapes.  This is not only unnecessary but makes our rooms darker and dismal.  If you have double paned windows, you don’t have to worry about heat loss and the morning sun is the best for starting your day off right.  In the winter, take down valances and cornices to expose as much of the window as possible.

3) Winter White – Scandinavians knew the secret to surviving winter darkness.  Living without sun for months on end made them experts.  Their secret was effective use of color.  White painted furniture and white washed walls made any room bright and cheerful, no matter how black the night (or day!).  Use light colors; add white, cream or linen colored pillows and throws around the room.  Ban dark colors until spring.

4) Grow a Winter Garden – You may not be able to plant outdoors, but this is the time for flowers and plants inside.  Succulents in a long wooden bowl in the kitchen window do great and add the green you crave.  Bring home an orchid or bromeliad for the table and watch the smile it brings to your families face.

5) Ban Traditional Christmas Colors –  The holidays don’t always have to be red, green and gold.  Use fresh new colors like fuchsia, aquamarine and orange.  Arrange colored ornaments in a bowl on the kitchen counter.  Using silver keeps your decorating fresh through New Years Eve and stays modern and clean looking right through the season.

Add your personal suggestions below.  Love to hear from you!

For most men, looking at or even thinking about home furnishings ranks somewhere between a visit to the dentist and getting a letter from the IRS.  We’d rather do anything else but be dragged to a furniture store and asked such questions as “What do you think of this one, honey?”  As a designer working with couples, I have seen that deer in the headlights look on men’s faces too many times.

 Guys may think they don’t know much about interior design and wouldn’t know their settee from their settle, but we sell ourselves short.  With just a few simple lessons, any man can become not only good but downright talented when it comes to decorating.

Men have a real knack for space and proportion.  While woman look at color and eye catching patterns, men understand spatial relations and how balance makes for a good room layout.  Many of the great architects down the centuries have been men.  Men excel at cooking and at designing automobiles.  How is designing your living room any different?

Lesson One – Color is not out to get you.  Believe it or not, there is something beyond Navajo white and blue.  While your wife may bring home swatches of pinks and lavenders, you can one up her big time by impressing her with your knowledge of such manly colors as Sedona Rock or Wilderness Cabin.  I’ve found most men are open to color more so than their mates.  In the animal kingdom, males flash bright colors and strut their stuff to get attention.  Somehow, human males have become drab and this just goes against nature.  Whenever I show clients color options, it’s always the man who goes for the saturated reds and greens.  But then he somehow retreats to his comfort zone and ends up with beige.  Don’t be afraid to take the plunge.  You can do it. 

Lesson Two – Get out of that Dad Chair.  Face it, our fathers and probably their fathers had the one chair in the house that was just theirs.  Usually a recliner or at least something in brown leather, it became a man’s one and only refuge in a room he probably had no input in designing.  Men aren’t like dogs who need just a bed and a bone to be happy.  We need to escape the Dad Chair and join the rest of the family.  Leather is great; it’s comfortable and forms to your body like an old pair of jeans.  But look at lighter colors, neutral and vanilla shades that are more modern, hipper and look like part of the room plan, not an afterthought.  Next time you are in a furniture store, tell your wife you want to look at tufted chairs and textural fabrics.  By the time she comes to, you’ll be far away from the recliner section.

 Lesson Three – It’s not like matching your shoes to your belt. Don’t let our good looks fool you, we have an imagination.   If you can figure out how to sneak in that weekend in Vegas, you can select furniture without breaking into a sweat.  One thing that really makes me crazy is when people say they want a bedroom “set”.  We are not in the days of Ozzie and Harriet anymore.  You don’t need to match the bed with the night stands and the dresser.  Open up your parameters and see that mix and match makes a room more user friendly and not so staid.  Recently I told a young father to go home and throw around words like “coordinate” and “complimentary” in describing his vision of the bedroom.  I think I may have personally saved their marriage!

Lesson Four –   Up your game.  I don’t know what it is about men holding on to everything.  Don’t let your house become full of unnecessary items.  We all like our “stuff”, but there is a limit.  Go back to the basics.  Keep accessories to a minimum.  The idea of the man cave probably started when someone’s girlfriend got sick and tired of looking at the trophies, framed team jerseys and collection of beer glasses that were filling up her dream house.  The poor guy was banished to the den, the basement or even worse, a corner of the garage.  Keep the peace in your home and be a part of the family room by learning that you can live with a lot less than you think.  Not to say that your needs should be disregarded.  But that poster of the cat clinging to the branch that says “Hang in there, Baby’ was probably better left at your college dorm room.  You’re a grown man now.  The time has come for adult art.  Finally, think about how easy it will be to straighten up when you want to make a good impression on that first date.

 Lesson Five – Sofa and the Single Man.  We need to stand proud and shout “I’m not going to take it any longer”.  Men have needs, too, and one of these is comfort.  Work with your designer to find sofas and chairs that fit you.  Today one size does not fit all.  You can buy furniture that’s scaled to your frame.  Sofas come in different depths.  Cushions can be anything from pure down to solid core foam.  We don’t have to sit on tiny dining room chairs and feel that we are attending a tea party.  It’s up to you, gentleman, to make your voice heard.  The biggest lesson you need to learn here is not to be a passive participant in your own home and its design.  Have a say in what’s comfortable for you.  Sit in many options; don’t be talked into something just because it’s pretty or on sale.  In this business, you get what you pay for and it’s not the time to be frugal.  A recent study showed that men spend more time using their home furnishings than women do.  Flex your designer muscle.  Your house can look good and be a restful respite from the world. 

 I’ll keep this short, as most of us suffer from ADHD and have the attention span of a tsetse fly.  If you think you have successfully completed this course, then it’s time to consider Interior Design for MenGraduateSchool.  Classes start soon.  If decorating your home still scares you, don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Hire an interior designer to lead you in the right direction.  It’s bad enough someone has to pick out your clothes.  Don’t let your wife or mother make the decisions you will have to live with for years.

 Now, let’s talk the biggest screen TV we can find….

It’s important for our homes to be a physical and mental refuge from today’s unrelenting world.  The place where we gather defines our mood. Our personal space should enrich our life, not make it more stressful.  Here are 5 ways to return home at the end of a long day to a peaceful house.

Start with the entrance and front door.  Paint your door a soothing color like eggplant or chocolate brown.  Plant an assortment of pots of flowers on the front steps, like a mixture of wildflowers.  Keep it simple and opt for a natural woven door mat, not one with funny sayings or crazy patterns.

Keep your kitchen stress free by banning clutter, especially on kitchen counters.  Contemporary cabinetry often uses sliding doors at counter level, where you can store toasters, blenders and the like for easy access, but hidden.  Don’t let your kitchen table end up being a computer desk or the spot where you dump your keys and mail.  Keep it clean and ready to set for dinner.

One word about bathrooms: SPA! This room, more than any, is your personal sanctuary.  Paint it a restorative color.  Roll white fluffy towels and keep them in a basket or on the tub decking.  Use a silverware divider or handled plastic bins for toiletries and make up.  No more searching around your vanity drawers for what you need!

Home offices and children’s playrooms are an important part of todays home. They will never be completely organized and don’t need to be.  The key is to close the door to that space when not in use.  In real life, there are just some spaces that are what they are.  Resist the urge to try and de-clutter this space, but go to the rooms where you can relax.

The best place for renewal and recharging is the bedroom.  Use the bed only for sleeping and intimacy.  Take the TV and computer out of the bedroom completely.  Keep excess pillows and unnecessary items off  the bed. If every bedroom looked like the pictures in magazines, we’d be exhausted by the time we removed all those pillows from the bed just to get into it!  Have scented candles in the bedroom, you don’t even have to light them to enjoy the fragranced as you sleep.

In these times where pressure and stress run high, it’s important to have your sanctuary so you can start each day refreshed and ready to face new challenges.  Your house can do this for you if you allow it.  When you get home tonight, look around and see where and what you can improve in your own home.  Have fun and enjoy your new peaceful surroundings!

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