Serious Mad Fun. And a great way to remind yourself that you need not spend billions to design well.

When we can’t get out of the studio, but need an instant jolt of creative juice…we peruse this site.

http://www.ikeahackers.net/

As we travel….check out some of our favorite inspirations.

Charlotte Moss is one of my favorite Designers. Check out her link:

http://charlottemoss.com/

Best,

Ann

Antique Hand Painted Porcelain Lamp

Ok, I said it.

Always have, always will.

Contemporary Pearl & Black Leather Ottomans

EXCELLENCE. Do and be the best that you can. Don’t settle. Life is short. We don’t get do overs.

Tom Filicia Designs for Kravet (Fabric)

EFFORT on behalf of someone else is a way of affirming their intrinsic VALUE.

Use the best you have, from possessions to gifts & talents do demonstrate that VALUE.

Couture Chateau Hand Made Down Custom Lined with CC Fabric, Designer Velvet, Antique Tapestry Pillow. Centered Covered Button Closure on Back

It’s November and the office phone has started to ring with clients and friends realizing Holiday time is counting down. Do you have time to stage? Stop by? One of your assistants?

With two weeks until relatives, friends and co-workers descend upon homes, cottages, cabins, guest rooms for Thanksgiving Dinners & December Celebrations, we look for help.

Realize however that your home is already beautiful because YOU are in it!

That said:

• Make a goal list – put it where you can see it, every day
• Divide tasks into MUST do’s (food, beverages) versus WANT to do’s (redecorate the guest room, purchase 36 matching Royal Crown Derby Antique Place Settings at auction in London and have them shipped by November 12th)
  

  Fall Colors Greet You

• Hire out what you can (florist, window washing, heavy cleaning for floors-ceilings-chandeliers, dog groomers)
• Get the linens to pressers – today
• Order online for home delivery what you can (Beverages, Additional Flowers, Centerpieces, Costco.com)
• Enlist the help of a good friend who is not hosting Thanksgiving and likes to help
• Stage your table options this week – try out several different options
• Have your local jeweler polish the silver. A good relationship with them often includes pick up and delivery. Why we love local businesses!

Remember, your home is first and foremost a reflection of the heart with which you fill it.  If your heart is right, your home will reflect that, and nothing else will really matter.

Set out different styles, see what you like this year

As mentioned yesterday, in preparation for the bustle of the holidays we encourage you to refresh your Bedroom, as a respite from all that tugs over the next two months.

Add Holiday Color without overt “Theme Decorating”….those Santa pillows look better in the store than they do in your home!

How delightful it is to tend to our personal spaces so that when we venture out into the world…or even the kitchen…we know that order and beauty exist for us to return to privately at the end of our day!

Woven Metallic Leather, Medallion, Mustard, Faux Fur

• 

  Scented Drawer Liners

  Add simple beautiful touches

• Layer Colors and Textures
• Remove at least FIVE unused items from your room
• Clean out at least FIVE items from your closet
• Use what you have from other rooms in your home
• Find items that have meaning and beauty
• Trust your gut…if you love it, use it!

Holiday Treats for our most personal space, our Bedrooms.

As the holidays approach and the stress of making everything right for everyone else becomes the charge of the “housemaker”, remember to keep your private spaces inspiring, free of clutter and an emotional place of safety. Make them special enough to put a smile on your face when you walk in.

Why do we think our Bedroom should have just one outfit?  We certainly don’t! That said, it’s easier than you think to re-dress your bed. Start with what you already have.

Think seasonally. Think about mix and complimentary colors.

I remember well when the monogrammed almost thread bare summer spreads came out, the heavy drapes changed for lighter ones as summer arrived. Even living in California, this was a cherished passage linked to family history in Canada and the mid-west.

When the Fall arrived, we pulled the blankets from the closets. What fun to snuggle up in the cozy comforts we had stored away for the summer.

This process doesn’t need to be expensive.

PLAN!

TAKE TIME to clear your head and think about what you have that would inspire you. Don’t just peruse the internet or hop in the car and head to Nieman’s……as I said before, start with what you have.

Do you have a favorite throw that sits in the Family Room?  An inherited blanket that has special meaning? A pillow in the Guest Room that you actually want in your private space? Attend to your private spaces first and the rest of the house will follow.

Truth is, I change the ‘outfit’ on my bed every week. Not by purchasing new, but with the change of sheets I combine different blankets, shams, coverlets. I will reverse or remove the dust ruffle. Fold a blanket differently at the end of the bed. Layer differently. Some of my favorites are the older pieces that are less than perfect. So out of style they are new again. Combine them with one or two new pieces for the year and voila, you are both eco and trend setting ;).

Let me encourage you to trust your gut, trust your eye….and if you love it, that’s enough.

Remember, beauty doesn’t always ‘match’….look around you at how God’s bounty mixes colors, textures, shapes & sizes. And when was the last time that bounty looked like a photo in a catalog?? Read our “About Page”….why do we believe the catalog??!!

Tomorrow (thank you blog test friends!) we will keep on this topic for some encouraging photos (that is if we can figure out how to upload them)…..

Have a safe Halloween!

Check out this month’s Elle Decor. I love this magazine because it takes risk. Not content to sit back and publish rooms that are universally appealing, Elle Decor finds those niche designers and trend setters who test limits and challenge us to think differently. And have some fun in the process.

Highlights for me:

Richard Saja’s Embroidered Toile. Fabulous.

Trend Alert: Menswear…to that favored client, you know who you are…didn’t I tell ya?! Glad to have that sofa ahead of the curve.

Custom Made Mattia Bonetti cocktail table…jewelry for the room.