Tag Archives: design

Is Your Home Ready For Summer?

17 Monday Mar 2025

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Although for many on the East Coast and the Midwest, summer may still seem a long way off, here in California we are already experiencing warmer day and more sunshine. I know I’m ready to pull up the blinds and open the windows and let the light and fresh air in.

Your home may also feel that it’s tired of being closed up and wants to breath. Now is the time to look at ways to add freshness and vigor to your rooms and embrace the change of seasons.

Here are 5 great ideas that will chase away winter and get your home ready for summer!

Put away that old heavy comforter and invest in a brightly colored throw or coverlet for the bed. This season I’m seeing a whole new approach to prints and patterns. Stripes are always easy to mix and match with solid sheets and fun flower patterns reminiscent of the 1970’s are crazy fun and will add a smile to your face.

Open the windows. Heavy drapes collect dust and visually drag down the whole room. Now that we are seeing more sun, change them out for woven shades, billowy linen panels or just take them down and enjoy the view! Here color and texture work wonders, allowing the sunlight to shine in, enhancing a basic window – taking it from drab to fab.

Pull out glass containers, vases and bowls. For summer 2025, color is what’s happening. Don’t be afraid to experiment. In a garden window mix canary yellow, apple green and melon orange glass objects in different sizes. Don’t worry yet about adding flowers or fruit to the bowls and vases, let their color and shape alone be the interest factor.

Get Passionate for picture frames. So many of us put a photo from a holiday or vacation in a frame and there it sits, growing stale, for years and years. Take a good look at your frames, whether they are on a shelf or the piano. Discard dark colors and heavy woods and replace them with shell borders, glass on glass and brightly hued plastics. Not only will you see those photos in a new light, but the patterns and colors will brighten up the whole room.

Invest in one new furniture piece.  We can’t always afford to throw everything out and start new, but often just one fresh item can change the whole room. Modern wicker is making a big comeback – an organic side chair or an ottoman/pouf in a colorful pattern is a quick inexpensive way to make a tired room look refreshed and brighter.  Small “drink tables” are always easy to find in so many styles, from metallics to stone top to wood and fit just about anywhere.

It’s already March! If you close your eyes, you can feel the change in the air.  Spring is right around the corner. Are you ready?

For all your design needs contact Steven Edward Wallace Design – @stevenedwardwallacedesign, stevenedwardwallace@gmail.com or 925 915 1005.

A Conversation with Steve Wallace of Steven Edward Wallace Design.

23 Thursday Jan 2025

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Tell us about yourself and your business. 

I grew up in a small town in Michigan, but always felt California was calling, and moved out west after college. After a few years of working for designers, manufacturers, showrooms and completing the UCLA design program, I started flipping houses with a business partner. After seeing the reaction to my renovations, it was time to open my own business. Since then, I’ve completed design projects all over California as well as Arizona, Florida and Las Vegas. Currently, I live in Palm Springs and Carlsbad – continuing to work with incredible clients and creating interiors that work with their lifestyle and giving them the home of their dreams.

Sample design from Steve Wallace, Palm Springs designer

What is your design philosophy?  

I believe a home should be your sanctuary from the stress of the world. Design is successful if it not only gives the client a great space, but also reflects their personality and gives them joy every time they step through the door. Working with the client’s budget, I strive for a balance between functionality and creativity. But, sometimes I push them to expand their mind and educate them on everything their home can be.

Who or what are some of the key influencers in your design approach? 

I really take the time to get to know my clients, how they live. For example, do they like to entertain in their home or need a quiet place to recharge? My first influences start with them. I am intrigued with mixing styles, international cultures and eras, not sticking specifically to one look. (Yes, I’m talking to you Mid Century Modern!) I’ve always been fascinated with architecture, classic design and the importance, especially in our climate, of the link between interiors and nature.

Do you have a favorite style of home that you like to design?  

One of the best things about being a designer is that no two jobs or projects are the same. It’s stimulating to explore new and exciting styles – learning and growing myself. Clean, minimal and modern is my personal aesthetic. Asian influences reflect a clean and classic, timeless style with the use of natural, eco-friendly materials. A low maintenance life is my mantra. But, I never push my own likes and agenda on a client. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to design in many styles over the years and always have found it has improved my design eye and opened up my own mind.

Sample design from Steve Wallace, Palm Springs designer

What are some of the current design trends in the desert? 

Obviously, in Palm Springs, the Mid Century Modern look is still going strong. Sadly, it seems to have become a bit of a cliché and, for me, losing touch with what it really was. It is becoming a bit generic. I like that we are seeing people begin to break out of that box and explore all the architectural styles Palm Springs has to offer. But in the desert, I think open floor plans, modern architecture, and indoor/outdoor living will never go out of style. The use of tactile, textural elements like wood, stone and metal has always been strong here and always will.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?   

When you hire Steven Edward Wallace Design, you get a designer with over 30 years of experience in the trade – someone who will listen to your needs, your ideas and work with your budget. I help to make the process as easy and low stress for you as possible. A big compliment to me is when my clients say to me five or more years after we finish “I still love my house!”

For more information contact Steve at stevenedwardwallace@gmail.com or 9259151005. Follow on Instagram @stevenedwardwallacedesign.

Hello Room, Nice To Meet You!

31 Wednesday Aug 2022

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Sometimes we have to look at our rooms 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!

For more info: stevenedwardwallace@gmail.com

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 collected 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. Nowhere 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 life Any journey begins with the first step. But don’t just take a step – make the leap!