A little old, a little new

For me, designing a room is a process that evolves over time. As a designer, I really prefer a lived- in look that has taken time to come together. I have had clients with beautiful homes that I wonder why they need me to help them? The furnishings might be beautiful and the room in order, but what really gets me excited about design is helping a clients' room (or home) come together and reflect their personality. I love a little old, (actually I love that a lot) a little new, and a lot of personality!

For instance, I love the look of an older cherry Queen Anne table paired with mahogany school house chairs. Not a perfect match, but it looks great together and has evolved over time. I also think a little worn is ok! Yes, my tables may have scratches in them, my wool rugs might not have all of their loops looped, but to me, that's ok, because really, our homes are meant to be lived in. So, enjoy your home this holiday season, and here's hoping you'll be living in it a lot over the holidays!

Visual Clutter

With my home, I'm always looking at it with a designer's eye. Sometimes I wonder, "is there too much visual clutter?" With clients we are always careful as to not have too much "visual clutter", and I'm always refining that in my own home, too. What is it that you want to stand out in the room? Is it your artwork? A new rug? An eye popping new modern leather couch? Sometimes it helps to take away the items, or clear the room completely, and start from scratch. Often, I find that I love every object in the room, but sometimes they can be repositioned in another room, leaving the room cleaner in the end, so that it really shines.