Office Design

According to some recent studies and my own opinion, Your office decor affects how you work.

90% of office workers regard the design and layout of their office as affecting their level of motivation.

Wow! That is a great reason to get your office design accessed by a interior designer.  Your office Design could be affecting your bottom line!

Okay…so this study got me to evaluate my own office space, its function and how it was working for me…and the real shocker….it wasn’t.  I mean for a designer, how could I let my office be so…so…blah.  Well, that is all it took! We have decided to reshape and rebuild the office.  Stay tuned….

Some of my office interior design inspirations:

Small Office

I love how this is so simple and casual.  Feels comfortable…There is nothing wrong with feeling comfortable in your office..right??

Interior Design Office

Its no secret I LOVE color…especially when you pair it with crisp white!

70%+ Off Snaidero Cabinetry and Miele Ap

70%+ Off Snaidero Cabinetry and Miele Appliances! Laguna Design Center. Hurry. Limited supply. http://ow.ly/1ze3S

Interior Design Newsletter I Interior De

Interior Design Newsletter I Interior Design Tips I #InteriorDesign Ideas/Inspiration from Orange County #news http://ow.ly/1ze2U

Los Angeles Sample Sale!

Checked the mail today and received LA Marts latest flyer!

Furniture Sample Sale

Open to the public. MAY 1, 2010-May 2, 2010 Fashion your interiors with spring’s latest designs.  Save up to 70% on many Featured Designer Brands:

• Ambella Home
• American Leather
• Bau
• Bernhardt Furniture
• Century Furniture
• Drexel Heritage
• Henredon
• Palecek
• Maitland Smith
• Marge Carson
• Martha Stewart
• And More…

Whats not to love!  Bring your designer!

You know you should have a designer when…

Yep! I said it! And Yep! It Happens!

I had a previous client who had hired me to renovate her home.  While she was renovating her home, her sister was renovating her condo.  Her and I were discussing her bathroom when she began telling me the horror that her sister went through during her bathroom renovation.

Her sister had picked out the most beautiful tile from a tile showroom.  It was a glass mosaic and she couldn’t wait to see it installed.  She placed the order and gave the sample to the installer.  The tile installer picked up the tile and installed it.  She loved it! Until, it started to fall down piece by piece.  Before my client even told me what had happened I knew.  It had been installed backwards.

Most mosaic glass tiles come with a mesh backing for installation.  It keeps the tiles from shifting.  This particular tile, came with a paper attached to it.  unbeknownst to the installer, you put the paper on facing out, not towards the wall.  Once the installation is complete, you wet the paper and peel it off and viola beautiful tile.  In this case, he installed the paper to the wall and grouted.

She had to buy new tile, pay the installer to reinstall it and trust me…that tile was not cheap! So time wasted, stress caused and budget blown…Value of a designer…Priceless!

Simplify Your Home

Home sweet Home feeling more sour than sweet lately? You may need to simplify your home. By simplifying your home you open yourself up to a fresher perspective and a fresher approach to spring decorating!

Easy ways to simplify your home.

1) Remove anything that is broken or in disarray. It’s bad feng shui. It’s bad decor. It’s just bad.
2) Donate your “I’ll find a place for this soon” pile. If it hasn’t found its place in your new life, it wasn’t meant to be there. If you must have it, find a place for it otherwise.. ask yourself Is this really that important?
3) It’s sometimes hard to decipher what you really want in your home. In this case. Look the item over, inspect it, how does it really make you feel? If you saw it in a store would you buy it again? If you saw it in someones home, would you like it? If you answer No..Its time to Go
4) If it makes you happy and smile...keep it..display it…dance around with it!
5) Versatile, classic pieces are always a must stay. If it feels so last year to you, then paint it. You would be surprised at what some paint could do to that dresser or chair.

Dealing with Sentimentals

Are you holding on to grandmas living room set?  Grandma’s blankets? Frames?  Remember..these are items.  Memories are carried in the heart.  You can’t properly display or appreciate ALL of them together.  Pick you absolute favorite item and keep that.  For the rest, take a picture..donate it to another family member that would need/like it…donate it to a charity in their honor.  I promise, you will feel better and it would be what grannie would want!

We Joined Design Stars!

We are so excited to be teaming up with a Non-Profit, Design Stars, for the upcoming weekend home makeover! I am responsible for a little girls room and a bathroom. There is a process in Interior Design and joining design stars is certaintly keeping me on my toes!  During the design process I have weeks to put together a carefully tailored design plan and then carefully execute it to every last detail.  For this project, I haven’t even seen the room! Should be tons of fun…at least interesting!  For more information Visit.

Home Extreme Makeovers are in Orange County, Ca and Newport Beach Interior Designer is Excited to Join the Team

Looks like it will be a beautiful day in Newport Beach

Stuck in a rut?

Okay.  I know.  I haven’t been blogging lately.  Truth be told.  I am not a blogger, a writer or a graphic artist. I’m not horrible at it, but not great.  I am an interior designer.  Artistic..yes…Creative..yes, but something about blogging and writing just gets me caught up.  I can see the words typing out in my head.  I can see how I want my blog to look when I am done, but I have no idea how to create what I want.  What I see.  What I feel.  What I want to achieve in my blog and newsletters I can’t.  I just get stuck.  I keep telling myself…just write whatever comes to mind.  Okay.  Simple enough…then I start writing.  What are the rules of blogging?  Am I posting in the right place?  Did I spell that right? Hmm..okay now I’m confused. Research. Yes! Look at other blogs and see how they pull their ideas into words.  Then I could become inspired and break away from being stuck.  Wow! How do people get their words to make your eyes water, and “feel” what they are talking about.  Clearly…I need practice or some help! This did get me thinking.  Is this how remodeling your home or picking out a sofa feels for some people?  I mean…I know what I want, I just don’t have the resources or confidence to pull it off.  Does that sound familiar?  As a designer I constantly hear…I know what I like..I just can’t put it all together.  I buy things that don’t fit.  I looked great in the showroom.  The contractor never showed back up.

What can you do if you are stuck in a Design rut?

• First thing is first.  You have to know what you like and don’t like about the space.  What do you like about the space?  What don’t you like?   This will help you determine what really needs to be done about the space.  If you don’t like the old chair you could donate it or upholster it.  If you hate how the old windows make the room cold, then you will need to replace them.  Be honest.  It is the only way you will achieve what you desire.  If you put a bandage on a broken arm..its still broken and useless.
• What uses/functions does the room need.  How does that compare with its current uses and functions?

These two questions will serve as the bones of the room.  This will clarify whether you need to just freshen up the space or actually do some renovating.  If you don’t have the budget to do ALL you want, then you can now prioritize.  Just don’t ignore the broken windows and buy a new sofa!

• How do you want the room to feel?  What inspires you?  What are your favorite colors?  This is where you have to disconnect from being specific.  Don’t write down what inspires you in that room or your favorite colors for a wall.  Write down what inspires you in life..on vacation..at the beach..or your favorite colors to wear, to drive..whatever comes to mind.  You may be surprised how there may be a pattern.  Maybe you didn’t know you liked red so much until you realize how much you wear it and accent you clothes with it.  But you could never have a red room you say!?! Well..don’t shut anything out just yet.
• Measure your room and play with an online room planner like on HGTV.com to see how your current furniture fits in your space.  If it doesn’t then you must get rid of it, store it, or move it.  These online planners make it easy to play with different ideas.
• Take colors from you favorites and inspiration list and get some swatches at the paint store of those colors.  Play with then and see how they go together.  Add some other colors.
• Wander around a home fabric store and look at some fabrics that have your selected colors.  Find a few you love.  Don’t forget to mix NOT match patterns.  Found a floral? Don’t pick 4! Add a stripe and a solid or even a plaid.  Ask for a sample to take home.  Make sure you have a good mix of heavy weight and light weight fabric.  The heavy fabric goes on “heavy” furniture and light fabric goes on “light” things like pillows and window treatments.
• Sit the pieces of fabric on the furniture you want to upholsterer or just sit it in the space the furniture will be.  How does it look? **Large scale patterns should go on large pieces and small-scale patterns on small pieces.  I recommend a solid for the largest piece.
• Arrange your fabric and paint choices on a table. Narrow down your choices. Think about the bolder colors as accents and the more neutral for things that you can not easily change like walls.  Now you should have a good palette of texture and color.

Pull it all together!

I hope this helps you break away from a design rut!

HAHAHAHAHAHA Definitely a bachelor’s be

HAHAHAHAHAHA Definitely a bachelor’s bed!! http://ow.ly/i/AJP