Happy Halloween! When these witches arrived, they were not what I expected. All wrinkled; then the fabric melted on the iron! But designers make the boring extraordinary and during this challenging time we all rise to the occasion with resourcefulness. The added hair toppers and feather masks brought them up to festive holiday standards! You say no one is coming over so you’re not decorating? That makes it the perfect year to organize holiday decorations! Give some away (my Mom and a teacher at our grandchildren’s school were both happy). You could use a photo of the decorations with evites to a socially-distanced, mask-wearing design meeting. It takes time to experiment so begin now for extraordinary results!
Fall Begins!
As the stores have started fall decor earlier than ever, it was inevitable that we would purchase our first new pumpkin or orange item and then… Do we put it away or just leave it out and add to it? The temperature dropped below 100 degrees so I went for thinking of fall, friends gathering and simple nutritious food! It doesn’t take much for kids’ snacks or having your neighbors over to come together in an inviting way. Orange cuties, carrots, orange juice (or mimosas), apple juice, cider, White Claw, Perrier… Enjoy the company with autumn light and then go to all out for Halloween as we get closer to that holiday! Enjoy!
Out Of Africa tablescape
While spending more time than usual at home – no traveling, meetings or gatherings, I have re-organized a lot of stuff! I have planned for many years to have an Out of Africa party and instead of waiting until the day before to plan the table, I got out the options and pulled them together! With my picture records, the final set up will be easy. My options all have fabrics obtained in Africa. The black and gold rimmed plates are very versatile. The centerpieces vary but accessories plus floral additions make it personal. Guests always feel more special when they know you have been working hard to entertain them. Since we’re not going out, why not have a few socially distanced, masked friends over to look at travel pictures of places you have in common – with lunch or dinner included! Food? Take out, cook in or gather around the grill!
Labor Day Tablescapes
After red, white and blue for Memorial Day and the 4th of July, mix it up for Labor Day with a nod to Rosie the Riveter with polka dots, blue denim and yellow. “We Can Do It!” was her slogan and that is certainly true today. We can do whatever we put our minds to. Either way pull together some random gears and have a festive weekend! I used to entertain a lot more but I have fun putting the table together with or without guests!
Zen
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his beautiful fabric with embroidered detailing would be perfect for upholstered walls in a quiet yoga space or meditation room. The carpet completes the look. You don’t have enough room for a dedicated space? Your office or bedroom may have a corner for your peaceful endeavors while adding the calming feeling for work and/or sleep. Namaste!
From Sedona to saltillo tile we are bonded with terra cotta colors
Recent “Colors of the year” by major paint companies were terracotta-based and so suited to the Southwest. This beautiful tile represents the inspiration one looks for to begin the process of pulling together enough samples of floor coverings, fabrics, tiles and accessories for an entire area or home to have continuity. The search for inspiration is the most critical step in the design process. Neutral floors will give the continuity needed and the adjoining spaces may have the darker color tones, the lighter, blue added or not. We don’t change our homes yearly so color preferences usually emerge as we age. With this consistency of choice you can surround yourself with your collection, change it up with smaller accents, seasonal and holiday additions and move with your favorites making it home!
Black and white just gets better and better!
These gorgeous black and white marble slabs can be used for flooring, stairs, counter-tops and back-splash to give the WOW! factor everyone wants. And unlike other colors black is black so combining other fabrics is simple. The additional tiles can be added to the mix or used to continue the look in an adjoining area. Seasonal accents? Not a problem with this versatile backdrop. A neutral has never been more exciting!
Correct Ceiling Height for Bathrooms
It happens all the time! The ceilings are high in the main part of the home and the bathroom ceilings are left at the same height! This is a design flaw that reflects on your architect!! Ceilings in smaller spaces need to be lower to maintain proportion. Either with a new build or a remodel, corrections can be made. The ceiling can be framed out, drywall added and the scale of the room is back to a more comfortable height. In the two baths pictured, we elected to add details to avoid the feeling of too much overhead space. Often air conditioning ducts need to be considered. Lighting fixtures can extend down and fill the space.
In the bath with the arches, we welded together pre-made squares to fit the space and the lighting is above, creating interesting designs within the powder room.
The other bath had an atypical flow as the homeowner added a urinal after the fact. To fill the space, medallions that are typically at the ceiling around the top of a chandelier were extended with custom poles enclosing a LED lamp. The design adds interest, corrects the space issue and creates a path to give the bath flow.
