I am changing my usual blog format today because I want to talk about Thanksgiving.  I recently read an editor's page in a shelter magazine about the editor's experience hosting Thanksgiving dinner.  She noted that in the past she tried going all out: silver, crystal, china, fresh flowers, real linens, and it was just too much work.  As a result, she says from now on it is paper plates and napkins for her.  This depresses me! I know many of us don't have the option to pull out the family silver, the wedding china and the linen tablecloth because we aren't lucky enough to have them.  As one of the lucky ones, I ALWAYS host my family for Thanksgiving dinner and I always use the "good stuff" I am fortunate to have.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday celebration.  Yes, you can argue that there are other holidays that are more important and I don't disagree, but I love Thanksgiving.  The reasons are simple, turkey day is all about being with family and friends, sharing good food and expressing gratitude for all the many blessings we have.  I love having one day a year that is focused on gratitude and in my house, the Thanksgiving prayer is just as important as the turkey.

Thanksgiving Past

I spend much of Thanksgiving week, preparing for the big event.  Monday, I do the grocery shopping and polish the silver pieces I intend to use.  Tuesday, I plan seating charts, set up extra tables as needed and move out furniture that may be in the way if I am having a large group.  (In a good year, I host 25 - 30 family members and friends).  I also plan each table setting. Wednesday is a big day.   I bake the pies from scratch, purchase flowers at the local wholesaler and put them in vases to condition them. I put the linens on the table, doing last minute touch ups with the iron. I set the tables and place serving pieces on the buffet.  On Thanksgiving day,  I arrange the flowers, prep the turkey and peel the potatoes early in the day.  Because we have dinner around 6:00 p.m. I have all afternoon to cook.  My one concession to the amount of work a huge dinner takes and to the limitations of my kitchen is that many of my guests bring side dishes to share. I am responsible for the turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, and the aforementioned pies. (I know it would be easy to have someone else bake the pies, but I LOVE pumpkin pie and to me having a good pie is just as important as a good turkey.) After the main event, someone usually offers to help clean up.  Yes, by then I am pretty tired, but it is a good tired.  The leftovers are put away, the silver, china and crystal get hand-washed and the dishwasher loaded.  Once the dishwasher is full, I call it a night and go to bed. Friday is clean up day and the table linens are washed as well as any dishes left from the night before.  The silver, china and crystal are put away and the furniture set to rights. (I will admit that I don't feel at all guilty if I spend most of the weekend on the couch!)

Reading this list, even I am somewhat overwhelmed by how much work it is!  Why do I do it?  Why do I look forward to doing it? The answer is simple.  I want everyone who shares this meal with me to feel special, welcome and appreciated.  Giving the ones I love those few hours at the table with family and friends, sharing a good meal at a table set with beautiful things (many of them family heirlooms) is my way of saying I am thankful for each one of them.  I do all this because I love them and they are worth it.

Wishing you many things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.

I feel obligated to call out my fellow designers and decorators. I’ve noticed a trend in decorating that really bothers me. If you read the shelter magazines regularly, you’ll notice that room after room features all white upholstery.

Really? Who lives like that?

When asked about the practicality of this, the designer will typically say things like: it is a slipcover, easily removed and washed; the fabric has been treated with a stain protector; it’s an indoor/outdoor fabric and is easy to clean.

But is there anyone who has so little to do that they want to give more of their precious time to cleaning and laundering the upholstery? My responses to the above explanations are: removing, laundering and replacing slipcovers is hard and time consuming; stain protector or not, a guest sitting and drinking something like red wine is still going to make you nervous; indoor/outdoor fabrics are great but even they get dirty and require cleaning.


I guess the reason this trend bothers me so much is that I want to design rooms that people actually live in and enjoy. In most houses, it is just not practical to have something in a space that you’ll constantly need to worry about. That includes a rug that is easily stained, upholstery that is difficult to clean, and surfaces that are easily marred. When I was growing up, many families had rooms that were pretty much off limits to children and pets. People just don't live like that any more. Real estate in a house is generally too valuable to devote space to rooms that are rarely used.

Yes, all that white can look lovely when the room is first finished, staged and photographed. Let's see the same room a year later after it has been lived in!  I seriously doubt it will be so pristine. Come on designers, there are so many beautiful upholstery fabrics that work better for real families than white, no matter how much we tell ourselves that it is easy to clean!

A LITTLE FLUFF. . . 

My daughter and I have been having fun decorating the little house she is renting. The first order of business was paint. The landlord painted every room in the house beige with pink undertones. Although many people think "beige goes with everything", this beige didn't look good with any of the brightly colored furnishings we wanted to use. Fortunately, the landlord was willing to let us repaint with any color we chose. I have a lot of experience with painting, so the only cost was for paint. For about $35 dollars per space, we were able to make big changes. The changes in wall color made a huge difference in how her things looked in the house and how she felt in her rooms. Now, the spaces look young and fresh. Just right for a couple of girls out of college and just testing their wings. 

How about turquoise?
 More pictures to follow

I want to encourage all of you renters out there to paint your spaces if possible.  We may have to repaint when my daughter moves out but she really wants to enjoy this house and make it her home.

Money well spent.

Picking a decorator is like picking a spouse — you want someone who shares your vision, someone you have rapport with and someone who is strong in places where you may be weak. Decorating is a personal business. You want to find someone who will compliment your lifestyle and bring out the best in you. So I thought I would use this blog to discuss the best way to find and interview your own decorator.

First, there’s finding a decorator. Websites like Houzz and Google are good places to start if you don’t know of any decorators, but often referrals can be the best way to find what you’re looking for. Realtors, builders and contractors often work with decorators, so don’t be afraid to ask for their opinions and suggestions. Designers also often have websites, so once you find or hear of someone you might be interested in, search for them online and you’ll most likely be able to find their professional information and portfolio.  Looking through a decorator’s portfolio is an easy way to tell if your style will match their designs.  

Friends have also asked me what credentials they should look for when hiring a decorator. How many letters should decorators have behind their name, and which are the most important letters to have? Decorators and designers can have several different certifications, such as ASID (American Society of Interior Design), IDA (Interior Design Accreditation), CID (Certified Interior Decorators), and DSA (Designer Society of America). These are jus a few of the many designations a designer may have. My best advice is that while credentials are important, a strong rapport with your decorator is more valuable than the letters behind their name. Design is personal (I know I keep saying that, but it’s important to remember!), so while credentials can give you assurances that a designer is qualified, don’t let credentials be the deciding factor.

While you’re interviewing your decorator, there are things you have to remember to ask. It’s important to ask how much a decorator charges, and if that charge is an hourly or flat rate. You’ll need to know who will make the purchases, and how they will be paid for. Decide on a budget and tell it to   your decorator. Make it clear how much you’re willing to spend so you and your decorator can make a realistic plan for your house. The main idea is to keep an open communication with your decorator. Let them know what you think of their ideas, and don’t be afraid to disagree with their plans. If you feel like your decorator's feelings will get hurt if you tell them you don't like some aspect of their design, move on. It’s your project, and you have to be comfortable voicing disagreements as well as praise. That said, be open to new ideas and going a little outside of your comfort zone.  Give the decorator room to be creative.

Finding a good decorator can create a relationship that lasts for years. Whether you’re designing in stages, or doing one massive renovation, design is personal (am I making my point?) and your decorator will be very much in your personal business. It’s important to trust him or her with your plans. This is a creative business, so make sure you’ve picked a decorator that’s the right partner for you.  Do your homework and you won't end up divorcing your decorator!

A LITTLE FLUFF. . . 

I have started a new project that I will be sharing with you, step by step.  After finishing college and finding a job, my daughter's next step toward independence was renting a house.  Lucky for me, a small house across the street was recently converted to a rental property.  This used to be, by far, the worst house in the neighborhood.  A 1950's house with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, its charm was masked by overgrown shrubbery and peeling paint. The inside was even worse.  Recently, a neighbor purchased the house and spent considerable time and effort to make the house habitable and to uncover its classic 50's appeal.  The stars aligned and the house became available just as my daughter was looking to spread her wings.  She found a college friend who had also recently found a job in the area to be her roommate so she signed a lease and moved in.  I will be sharing with you the process that we are undertaking to make this little house a home on a limited budget.  Admittedly, having a decorator for a mother is an advantage that most new home owners/renters don't have but I think there are things that all of you can learn from this process.

The Exterior Receiving New Paint

I've enjoyed poking around antique stores since I was an eighteen year-old college student. I’m always excited by the idea of what I might find, whether it’s something I’ve been searching for, or something completely unexpected. I’ve found some of my favorite art, furniture, and accessories from the different shops I’ve visited. I’ve even taught my daughter and her friends the fun of antique shopping (and I think they actually like it and are not just humoring me).

For those of you who haven’t spent time in second hand shops you might be surprised by what you can uncover. Antique stores, thrift shops, and second hand boutiques can contain real bargains and hidden treasures and the anticipation of discovery is part of the fun. You never know when you will find a great deal or something unique . Most of my furnishings and accessories have either been hand-me-downs (I had a Grandmother with fabulous taste and the means to buy quality) or "previously owned".  Even now when I have access to thousands of new products, I still like to try to keep or add something with a past to every room I decorate.

Some of my finds: A french chair, a  vintage desk
 with a leather top, an antique iron lamp.  Even the buttons
on the chair's slipcover are recycled.

While there are many retail companies that make well styled and well priced products, they sell to the masses, so you may see your sofa, lamp, curtains, etc. in your neighbors' houses. If you want your home to have individuality you have to spend a little time and effort to find things that aren't mass produced (at least not any more). 

Lots of decorators know the benefits of second hand shopping. One of my favorite designers is Sarah Richardson, you may have seen her on HGTV, she often buys things second hand for her design projects, even if that means rescuing furniture off of the curb. (Something I’ve done myself.) These reclaimed pieces are part of what makes Sarah's signature look. There can be great finds in second hand stores, but be careful, good bargains can be found but it does take a good eye to recognize a diamond in the rough and a little knowledge to know an original from a reproduction.

Second hand shopping is all about finding things of value in unlikely places. Once I found a signed, first U.S. edition of Daphne du Maurier's, Rebecca, one of my favorite books, for $8! I found a large French etching in a cheap frame, covered in dust for $65. I have a pair of italian chairs with down cushions I purchased at a neighborhood antique show years ago. I paid $250 for the pair and they now sit in my living room. One of my favorite pieces is a simple mahogany tea caddy I paid $100 for the last time I visited my grandmother in upper New York state and we went antiquing in Rhinebeck. I could go on and on but you get the point. I don't always find something wonderful when I go shopping and neither will you, but I almost always come home with something I didn't even know I wanted. 

A LITTLE FLUFF. . . .

I feel like I must make a confession.  In my second blog, I shared with my readers about my secret lamp addiction.  Well, recently I fell off the wagon. It wasn't my fault. My mother and sister suggested we go poke around a few shops after a recent lunch together. They are clearly enablers.

First, I talked my mother into buying an awesome vintage wrought iron light fixture for the living room in her adorable craftsman cottage. In my defense, she did love it and the inexpensive fixture she had in the house didn't do the room justice and this one was ON SALE!! 

Just as I thought I was going to escape unscathed, I spotted it.  Sitting on top of a six foot tall book shelf with a totally unworthy shade, was a Murano glass, gilt wood and iron lamp. I started to breathe a little faster, my heart started pounding, I heard music playing (but that could have been the store's sound system).  Why was I so excited?  Well, Murano glass is some of the finest glass in the world and even at wholesale prices, Murano glass lamps aren't cheap. This one was marked $235. I think my mother and sister were a little skeptical when I started gushing about how fabulous it was but all that time in dusty shops and hours spent reading design magazines and surfing the web told me it was something special.  I asked the shop keeper if he could "do a little better on the price"  even though it was already a bargain at $235. I ended up leaving the shop with my dusty lamp with it's too tall shade for $200.  When I got home I did a little research.  I found the same lamp for sale on Ebay for $1,200 and a similar lamp that had recently sold on 1st Dibs (a website for high end antiques).  

Of course, I have no place to put it yet and I need to buy the right shade but I still feel an adrenaline rush every time I look at it.  Being a Lampaholic is a struggle.  Pray for me.

When it comes to decorating, little things make a big difference.  The perfect room can be ruined by little things just as the perfect outfit can be ruined by the wrong pair of shoes or the wrong purse.  (I realized the other day that I had run out of the house in a red dress with my hot pink purse, it wasn't pretty.)  So here are the most common mistakes do-it-yourself decorators make, in no particular order.

1.    Hanging Artwork

When you go to the theater to see a movie, do you enjoy sitting in the front row? Probably not, considering that by the closing credits you’ll have a crick in your neck. Many people hang their artwork high enough to give the average person a sore neck. Art should generally be hung at eye level. And unless you are going for the art gallery look, the art should relate to something else in the room.  This can mean making the art part of a grouping or having a consistent color scheme or style.  Also, every wall does not have to have something hung on it!  Hanging art on some walls distracts the eye from what you really want people to focus on: your beautiful space.

2. Wrong Paint Colors

There is a reason builders paint house interiors beige, it is neutral and safe. Many people live with it because they don't know what else to do, but rarely is the random color already on the walls the right color to show your room to its best advantage.  Do you have the color you want or did you go with the "safe" choice? The right wall color can add drama to a room or be the perfect back drop for showing off your furnishings.

3.  Wrong Scale or Bad Proportions

Good scale and proportion may be hard to describe or quantify but you know it when you see it.  We've all seen the room with the too big TV, or the huge couch with the tiny coffe table or (one of my pet peeves) a tiny rug in a big space. Decorators take years training their eye to understand proportion and scale.  It can be a hard thing to get right. 

 

4.  Poor Furniture Arrangements

The mistake I see the most with furniture arranging is shoving all the furniture against the walls.  Furniture needs to be considered as part of a group and not a stand alone item.  Just about everyone knows a coffee table is usually placed in front of a couch but it should be 18 - 24" in front of the couch, not three feet away. How can you put down a drink or put up your feet if the coffee table doesn't relate to the couch? Don't put your big comfy chair 8 feet from the couch either unless you want the person sitting in the chair to feel like he or she is in a time out. 

5.  No Window Treatments or Bad Window Treatments 

Windows are a great way to bring architecture and light to a room. The right treatment can enhance a beautiful window or disguise a poorly placed one. It is hard to get a beautiful window treatment without investing a little money. This is one place where quality really makes a difference. Knowing where to hang your covering is also important. This comes back to proportion and scale.  Many homeowners don't know what length of window treatments they need or how high to hang them.

6.  Poor Quality

Quality shows, and it’s better to have one or two good pieces than a room full of cheap ones. Buying an inexpensive sofa and chairs may seem like a good deal in the short term but a good sofa or chair is worth reupholstering and can be altered if styles change.  A cheap sofa will end up on the curb.  Quality will hold up and hold value. The good news is quality isn't always expensive.  If you are willing to buy things second hand you can get solid wood furniture for the price of new particle board pieces. Grandma's furniture is often better made than much of the furniture sold today.  

7.    Buying In Sets

My last piece of advice is don’t buy sets for your room. It’s easy to go to a showroom and get a “room to go”. You can check everything you need off a list: a bed, nightstands, a dresser, a mirror, but where’s the creativity in that? Your room becomes as matchy as a hotel room, or as staged as a showroom. It shows nothing about the person living there. A room should say something about who you are. 

If you think you are guilty of making some or all of these mistakes, remember, I am only a phone call away.

A LITTLE FLUFF. . .

This month, my daughter and oldest child graduated from college with a degree in Graphic Design. I am very proud of her and all she has accomplished and am excited to see where life takes her next. She and her fellow graduates have many joys, challenges and milestones ahead.

Many other parents have celebrated graduations this spring. My prayer is that we, as parents, have prepared these graduates to meet life's challenges with courage, dignity and integrity. I hope my daughter knows that her value lies in who she is and not what she looks like; in what she gives to the world and not what she acquires; that no one is always right and that she can admit it when she is wrong; and that being right is not as important as being kind. Most of all, I hope she knows that she is loved.

This week, I want to address Designer Phobia.

Believe me, it’s a real thing.

Common symptoms include: the fear a decorator is judging your house the minute they come inside, the desire to hide your house from a decorator, and the need to repeatedly apologize to your decorator for “the state of your house”.

But here’s the truth of it…I’m not judging your house. I’m not judging you. I’m not judging your choices. So there’s no need to apologize. Would you go to a doctor and apologize for being sick? No. (Not unless you accidently sneezed on them!)

The first thing I do when I walk into a house is observe. I’m taking in the space, looking at everything from the basic layout of the room to the furniture. And I’ll let you in on a little secret. I would be disappointed to walk into a room that’s already beautiful! The truth is, I’d rather go into a home that hasn’t been decorated, or a home that needs help fixing a project gone wrong. I want to make an impact. I want to help. Yes, it is my job to view things aesthetically, but that doesn’t mean I’m criticizing. Don’t obsess over worrying you don’t have enough money, or your house isn’t big enough or fancy enough.  The only time I’ll look down my nose is to scribble notes about my ideas.

It’s all about living comfortably and living well in your own house. Don’t let Designer Phobia, or fear of judgment stop you from enjoying your house and sharing it with others. It may sound silly, but I’ve known people who didn’t want to invite family and friends to visit because they believed their house wasn’t good enough.

I remember when I was a first time homeowner and newly married, and my furniture was a collection of mismatched pieces. (We’ve all been there.)  Over time, I was able to afford better furniture and a bigger house, but I still have a few pieces of that furniture I bought almost thirty years ago. 

The trick is to prioritize, and the rule is to decorate your home for you, not to impress the occasional visitor. You’re the one living there, after all! With a little creativity and smart shopping, you can get the most impact for the best price.  My point is: don’t be afraid to share  your home. Decorating is a continual process, but you don’t have to wait until that process is done to love your home.

So put down the vacuum. Stop fluffing the pillows. Don’t apologize. I’ll say it again— I’m not judging you or your house. I’m here to help. Let’s create something new.

A LITTLE FLUFF. . . 
I recently returned from a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is an area of the country that I absolutely love. My husband, my children and I have been visiting this area every summer for about 15 years. It is the one place on earth that I love to be and never grow tired of. My husband and I purchased a summer home in eastern Tennesse seven years ago.  It was an old farmhouse, built in 1918, which we bought, along with two acres of land, from a man who grew up there and still lives on and owns the land that surrounds it. I could sit on my front porch and see his old barn and his cows grazing in the field. I loved sitting on that front porch in the summertime, feeling a soft breeze, smelling freshly mown hay, hearing the buzz of the hummingbirds at the feeder.  That old house in the beautiful Tennessee mountains was my happy place.

But things change and children grow up and my husband (who loves to play golf) really wanted to live in a nearby golf community.  My grown kids weren't as willing to spend large parts of their summer "in the middle of nowhere" playing Ping-Pong in my leaky basement or Cornhole in the front yard.  So, last year, we put the farmhouse up for sale and bought a house just a few miles away in North Carolina in a summer community with all the amenities.  We spent six months remodeling the house and this summer will be the first one that we spend in our new mountain home.  I am hoping that soon, this house will feel as right as that old farmhouse did.

I will know if we made the right decision when the new house is filled with family and friends and I can sit on the deck and watch birds at the feeder, get to know my new neighbors and hear the sound of Ping-Pong on the back porch.

To be continued....

Sometimes, home decorating feels like preparing a holiday dinner. You begin with an idea: I want my walls painted in a yummy pear green. You envision the walls as easily as you’d envision a perfectly golden, perfectly stuffed, Thanksgiving turkey. But a great holiday meal isn’t only about turkey, just as decorating isn't only about color. Can you picture the rest of your room? Have you planned the space between your walls? Decorating can become consuming and complicated quickly, and the last place any of us wants to be is elbow deep in stuffing, fighting to fit a sixteen-pound turkey into an oven already full of pie (figuratively speaking, of course!).

You’re not afraid to call your mother for her cooking survival tips (as long as she knows her way around the kitchen), so you shouldn’t be afraid to call a decorator either. What can a decorator do for you? Well, metaphorically, I’ll make sure the turkey doesn’t burn in the oven, the pies are baked, the potatoes are mashed, the flowers are arranged and the table is set before the first guest arrives.

So, let's go back to those pear green walls. You’ve begun the picture, so how do you complete it? You’re imagining a yummy pear green, but what happens when your walls are painted, the furniture is moved in, the accessories are put in place, and you realize your yummy pear green is more of a pistachio green? Or yuck, avocado green? Or (horrors!)  bright lime green? It’s all green; it’s just not your shade of green. Isn’t that something you’d like  to know before it’s covering your walls? Doesn’t it seem logical to bring in someone who understands the subtle color differences in a paint chip? Good decorating is a collaborative process, so why not collaborate with someone who has decorating survival skills.

It doesn't matter if you're beginning a new project or are in the middle of renovating a room— bringing in a decorator can help. It’s not always easy to see the big picture or how each decision impacts the others. Together we'll make a workable plan for your space that can be completed immediately or over time as the budget allows.

I've found that two heads are almost always better than one. It never hurts to get a second opinion, especially if it helps create the beautiful home you want. Picking your paint is just one of many decisions. Have you thought about the layout of your space? Are you decorating with the other rooms of your house in mind? Have you thought about what size your furniture should be? Let’s make sure your couch will fit through the doorway before you bring it home!

The list goes on. Window treatments, layers of lighting, flooring choices and furniture are all part of decorating a room, and each has to complement the other to create visual harmony. The little details add up to your big picture. What can a decorator do for you? I'll work with you to make your ideas a reality. A few extra experienced hands in the kitchen never hurt. So why not add some professional experience into your decorating plans?

Note to self, never blog when you’re hungry ;)

Next time: Designer Phobia - the fear that my house is so poorly decorated that I would be embarrassed to let a decorator see it.

A LITTLE FLUFF. . . 

Someone asked me recently how I would describe my home. You would think I could answer that (I am a decorator) but I was stumped. You know, I never really thought about what my home said to other people. Sure, I wanted it to be welcoming and attractive, but it is about so much more than that.

Walking into my home you don't know that the end tables on either side of the sofa belonged to my maternal grandmother, or that the small, antique coffee table with the piecrust edge is one of the first pieces I bought when I was furnishing my first home. Those slightly under scale chairs next to the fireplace were in my paternal grandparents last home. The baby grand piano represents my love of music and 20 years of waiting to be able to afford it. The sideboard in the dining room came from my favorite antiques dealer, now retired, and the needlework hanging over it can be traced back to my 19th century ancestor.

My husband's family is represented in the BARLEY (get it?) twist candlesticks and the silverware I use for holiday meals. The lovely silver candlesticks with cranberry glass hurricane shades came from his grandmother. The large painting in the family room? Purchased by his father from the artist off the side of the road in the late 50's. Almost everything in my home is part of my life's story. Some stories are of family and some are of the hunt for that perfect thing and what it took to get it.  (I recently had an antique table I found on Ebay shipped across the country because it was exactly what I wanted for my foyer. Logisitically challenging but ultimately worth it.)

My home wasn't decorated to impress or to shout "a decorator lives here!" After thinking about it, I would describe my home as the story of my life.

Do I really need a decorator?

What’s the point in hiring a decorator? It’s not hard to pick out a table. It’s not difficult to paint a wall. Most people can furnish a room: a bed for the bedroom, a couch for the family room, a table for the dining room. It’s like painting your own nails—it’s not impossible to do yourself.

But does your home manicure look as good as what you’d get from a manicurist? I think of it like filing taxes. We have all the necessary information to do it ourselves, and if we get stumped, we always have Google, right? But are we ever as confident in our results as we are in the results of a professional CPA? I know mine saves me a serious headache and some money too!

It’s the same reason we get our hair done at a salon instead of doing it ourselves—we hire specialists because they know more than we do and that knowledge has value.  Anyone who has ever had a bad haircut will attest to this.

A Decorator is a specialist. We have knowledge and resources that can benefit you in designing your home. Think about what your house feels and looks like, and ask, is that how you want it to feel and look? If not, what needs to change? That’s where a specialist comes in.

Aren’t decorators just for rich people with expensive homes?

No. (To answer the question most people think but never ask!) ALL homes are decorated, some thoughtfully and some haphazardly, think college dorm room. Good design is where function meets beauty. It’s getting things right the first time that’s important. Yes, you will have to pay a Decorator for her time but if she keeps you from making costly mistakes, you will come out ahead.

For instance, most of us, at one time or another, have chosen a color to paint our walls. We’ve stood in the paint store looking at a patchwork of colors, or stared at a room covered in paint samples. You may know what colors you like, but are you sure you’ll like that same color on the walls? Will it match your floor? How does it look with your couch? If you pick the wrong color, one of three things will happen: you decide to 'just live with it' (not the optimal outcome), you repaint and double the cost of the job, or you realize the paint color really looks awful with the rug or couch or drapes, etc. and you have to replace something you hadn't budgeted for.

Decorating takes time.  Think about the last item you needed for your home and how long it took to find it.  Do you really want to spend your weekend going from furniture store to furniture store?  What is your time worth?  We all have a limited supply of time, how do you want to spend yours?

Turning a rough idea into a reality takes time, effort, and resources. Avoiding costly mistakes means we have more money to go even further with our design plan and for you to be even happier with the result.  I have the knowledge and experience to help you avoid costly mistakes and maximize your decorating dollar.  Through me, you have access to trade only products in addition to retail items. I have a team of trusted trades people that are reliable, honest and that charge competitive rates. I know where to shop to get the best value and price for what you’re buying.

A (good) decorator* will help you get it right the first time. We are specialists.

* I will tell you how to tell the difference between a good decorator and a bad decorator in an upcoming blog.


 A LITTLE FLUFF. . .

I feel the need to confess something to you. My name is Gail and I am a Lampaholic. I LOVE vintage lamps.  I have a stash. It is hidden away in my attic. I buy lamps even though I don’t need them and have no place to put them. I find them irresistible. An Aladdin lamp with its original finial can make me swoon.

Here is an example of how out of control my addiction is. When my daughter first went off to college she had what was probably the only professionally decorated dorm room on campus. Her roommate (and best childhood friend and my sort-of adopted daughter) were both on board to let me have my way with the ugly but functional dorm room they were assigned. I decided on an orange and soft brown color scheme (don’t worry I will be getting back to the lamp thing in a minute). We bought blankets, duvets, monogrammed towels, a little artwork and even a huge orange shag rug that I found on clearance for a steal. They loved the room and so did their friends. Sophomore year they had a new dorm room and a new layout. They needed a lamp for the bedside table in the bedroom. Here’s where my addiction comes in. I had a large, orange, vintage 60’s lamp in my stash that was just the thing. Now really, how many moms could produce an orange lamp at a moment's notice?  Sick right? A new shade and a little rewiring and it was good to go. 

I really have tried to curb my addiction. I really don’t need one more lamp. I try to stay out of antique stores and thrift shops so I won’t be tempted. I haven’t bought any lamps in a while but I am working on some projects that really do need some new lighting.......

One day at a time.

Hob-nail Cranberry Glass

Early 20th Century Cast Iron

Turquoise McCoy

We spend the majority of our lives Between Our Walls. We nurture a sense of comfort, familiarity, and personality at home through our style choices. Our choices build our home’s character, making each room an extension of the family living there. 

With all this time spent in one place, shouldn’t you have a house you want to come home to?  A house that reflects you?  A house you love?

As a decorator, my job is to collaborate with my client, my team and tradespeople to design a home that reflects you. My goal is to work with you to turn your house into a true home using my training, experience, and resources. I want to share my knowledge, and openly discuss the realities of interior design so you can have a home filled with personality and practicality. Design is accessible, and so are designers!

So let’s talk.  Let’s talk about what an interior decorator offers.  

Let’s talk about things like . . .

• Setting a budget and sticking to it

• Selecting colors 

• Decorating with things you already own

• Planning for pets 

• Deciding when to do it yourself and when to hire a pro

• Organizing your rooms

• Balancing the pretty with the practical

My goal is to improve the quality of your home life. Let’s talk about how to make your home a true reflection of the family living there. 

Let’s talk about life Between Our Walls.

A Little Fluff . . .

I guess you already know my name but I wanted to share a little bit about me with each blog post.  Home decorating is a very personal business.  As a decorator, I need to know a lot about my clients and their lifestyle to really meet their needs.  I thought it was only fair that you know a little about me.  If all you are interested in is learning more about decorating, you can skip this part in the future, but if you want to know a little bit more about me and my life, this is where I get personal. 

Basic bio:  Married almost 27 years, 2 kids, one of each, both in college, one graduating in May, one dog and one cat.  The dog and cat are both old and pathetic, but what are you going to do?  Like most of you my life is pretty ordinary, but at the risk of getting too philosophical, an ordinary life is an extraordinary thing.  All of life’s ups and downs, the changes each year brings, are the fabric that make up my one life.  It is far from perfect (I don’t make my bed everyday even though my mother taught me to, my husband and I fight but we stick it out, and my kids aren’t straight A students, star athletes or destined for fame and fortune) but I wouldn’t trade this life for any one else’s.

Until next time.