Whenever we start a project, one of the first things we need to determine is how the room will be used, how many people will be using it at a time, and what are the possible needs we should consider when selecting and arranging the pieces for the room. And with the multipurpose spaces like the “great rooms” that are breeding in new construction and rehabs like rabbits, many rooms need to have the flexibility to serve a lot of functions. After all, if a room doesn’t function comfortably and well, what good is it? We WANT you to love your room and that means it needs to work perfectly as well as look good doing it!
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What exactly DO interior designers do all day?
“This is SUCH a glamorous job!” I quipped to my colleague yesterday as I headed up the front walk to a clients house with an area rug balanced on one shoulder…
Glamorous? Not really.
I know everyone who isn’t a designer imagines we sit around all day playing with pretty fabrics and paint swatches, and maybe occasionally sketching with colored pencils while sipping tea. And while we DO get to do a bit of that, it’s not all sunshine and roses! We also
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Will a great sofa change my life?
We love our clients and we REALLY love to see how enthusiastic they are when they get a new, wonderful piece of upholstery! This sofa was delivered this morning and we just received this text:
"This couch is SOOOOOOO great. I have been sitting on it all day. I love it! Bury me on this couch. : )"
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Should I hire an interior designer?
Should I hire an interior designer?
The short answer is YES. If you want to ...
Save time
A designer should have the experience and know-how to diagnose what is bugging you about your house and come up with several possible solutions tailored exactly to your situation. OR you can spend your precious free time scouring websites and magazine articles looking for someone with your exact design dilemma who found a viable solution you like and then assessing all the options for implementing it and trying to figure out which is the best real value. The choice is yours, of course.
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Designer Spam
Designer SPAM…
So, I know everyone gets spam emails, but designers get very specific spam email! This one has been circulating amongst designers for a while and I was just beginning to feel left out when, lo and behold, THIS appeared in my inbox…
I feel it is my duty as a designer to point out some glaring problems with Mary and her design sense – not to mention her spamming IQ…
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Seen Around Town: sexy chair legs ...
It's almost summer, which seems like the right time of year to show a little leg...
In the world of design, I am in favor of a mix of leggy and skirted pieces in any room. Legs give pieces a lighter, less bulky feel. That said, the choice of styles available is vast! So, without further ado, here is a round up of some of the options spotted recently at the Boston Design Center.
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Seen Around Town: Ballard Designs New Retail Store
FINALLY! After years of poring over the Ballard Designs catalog and absorbing the pretty vignettes, the catalog has come to life right here in New England! A new Ballard Designs retail store has opened at the Natick Mall. It is a breath of fresh design air after years of proliferating Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware stores. While the quality level and prices are all similar, the ingredients are a bit more classical than Pottery Barn and a bit more varied than Restoration Hardware.
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Four Key Ingredients for Outdoor Living Spaces
As the spring weather slowly warms up and freezing rain and snow appear to be left behind for the next few months, it is time to turn our attention to the upcoming season of road construction outdoor living. Designing spaces to live outside and revel in the warmer weather is even more important here in the northeast where we celebrate that we survived another winter and the gray, pre-spring months!
On my “must have” list for anyplace I live, is a slice of outdoor space. Whether you have a pocket sized balcony, a patio, a covered or screened porch, or a deck, make the most of it so you can enjoy the beauty of nature for a few months.
Arranging an outdoor space uses the same principals as arranging an indoor space – scale, color, and balance all apply. Here are a few key ingredients to keep in mind:
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Trade Secrets: Five Tips for Choosing the Perfect Rug
A well chosen area rug can pull together a whole room. While there are many ways to approach decorating a room, starting with an area rug you love is one of the most logical. The rug you choose can set the design direction for the whole room and choices are available for every possible situation, from a trendy flokati to a classic oriental, and everything in between. That said, here are some guidelines to help you with your choices wherever the rug selection falls in your process.
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Trade Secrets: Sofa Shopping Simplified
Sofa shopping can be intimidating. Choosing style details can be overwhelming, but comparing quality can be even more so since upholstery has a whole set of its own vocabulary, and the quality levels vary from store to store and even within a store or brand. Largely, price is an indication of quality level, but not entirely...there is some murky territory in the middle where many popular brands mix a few quality elements in with cheaper materials or construction so they may sound higher quality than they really are. Upholstered furniture can be found at pretty much any price point, so how do you determine how much to spend?
The answer to that question depends on a number of factors…
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Getting ready for the spring market? – Staging Tips from a Pro
Part of what sells a home is it’s feeling of hominess. Stripping a home of its character and emptying the rooms does not create the emotional appeal needed to sell a home. Careful editing and thoughtful arrangement does.
Here are a few key steps toward marketing your home in its best possible light:
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Luxury Downsizing: Seven Essential Steps
Luxury Downsizing – it’s what all the cool kids are doing! And while this post is written about downsizing in particular, much of it applies to ANY move. There is a reason so many empty nesters are downsizing to luxury apartments, condos, or smaller single-family homes. There are advantages to downsizing. Having less to decorate and maintain means more resources to do it well. AND Moving to smaller square footage affords more time (and often closer proximity) to enjoy travel, leisure, and cultural pursuits from a home base that is perfectly suited for your lifestyle.
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