I recently gave a presentation at the shop on the ABC's of Design so I thought I would share the info with you readers as well.  The list is not definitive, but it gives you some great guidelines for including items and ideas in your decorating plan that will make a big impact.

A is for Atmosphere.  Mood can be our biggest make or break moment in our homes.  Make sure you use lighting, color, and pattern to create the atmosphere you desire.

B is for Balance.  Don't pair too big with too small whether it is furniture, artwork, or accessories.  Things don't need to be equal size but big disparities will create visual problems.

C is for Comfort.  This has to be the most important thing.  If you aren't comfortable, life at home won't be much fun.  And remember you don't need  to sacrifice style for comfort.  There are many beautiful pieces that are a joy to sit in.

D is for Depth.  Flat interiors are boring.  Add color, texture, and layers of interest to create a rich and deep environment. Not everything in your house needs to be brown!

E is for Energy.  Dead is typically not a good description of anything.  Uses touches of vibrant color, rounded furniture, and plant life to boost the energy in your home.

F is for Flow.  Think about flow in your furniture arrangement.  Are your chairs, sofa and tables in the right place to allow functionality and traffic? Does your decorating scheme relate from room to room or are your spaces discordant?

G is for Grace.  Just as comfort is important to us as inhabitants, grace is important to guests you invite into your home.  Make them feel welcome with gracious and hospitable rooms and actions.

H is for Height.  I told you flat interiors are boring...so are interiors where everything is on the same plane.  Vary the height of your furniture, lamps and accessories to create different vertical and horizontal planes.  This keeps the eye interested.

I is for Interest.  Don't settle for buying everything at once.  Find items, whether furniture or accessories, that have a past or a unique shape.  This will seriously turn up the cool factor.

J is for Juxtaposition.  Don't be afraid to mix refined with rustic, high with low or even new with old.  This simple act will make your home interesting.

K is for Knowledge.  Before doing anything to your home, know who you are, how you live and what you want.  This is the ultimate guide for creating a home you love.

L is for Light.  Light is life!  Very little can affect our moods more.  Use ambient, direct and indirect lighting to create the desired levels in your home.  Also, employ color to achieve lightness and energy.

M is for Mixture.  Don't be afraid to go out on a limb and mix patterns, style, color.  This is the mantra of the English school of decorating and the results they achieve are breathtaking.

N is for Neutral.  Buy wisely.  Make sure your investment pieces are neutral enough to survive your next redecoration.

O is for Orientation.  What items go with others and how does everything relate in your overall scheme?  Getting the proper pairings will provide ideal scale, balance, and flow.

P is for Pattern.  This is the jewelry of the home. Don't be afraid to mix, match and play with pattern to create interesting pops around your home.

Q is for Quality.  A wise person once said, "Buy quality and you will only cry once."  Buy the best quality you can afford at the time and you will rarely be sorry.

R is for Rejuvenation.  Make your home THE place that can get you back on your feet after a long, hectic day.  Your home should relax you and restore your soul and energy.

S is for Shade.  As important as light is, sometimes we need a cocoon to feel safe.  Determine how you can add some darkness and mood to your home.

T is for Trend.  It is just that...a trend.  It may here tomorrow, but it's not going to stick around forever.  Having said that, don't be afraid to mix in inexpensive nods to trend.  It's easy to achieve and keeps you au courant.

U is for Unity.  Common styles and common palettes from room to room can enlarge your space and create needed flow.  Using a common color scheme throughout allows you to rearrange and have a new home every three months.

V is for Vignettes.  When accessorizing, pair items together that tell a story or hold special memories for you.  A vase may only be a vase, but a collection of stones from your travels abroad are more interesting.

W is for Windows.  I'm not talking about the glass kind.  Think of windows as views of your interior from different perspectives.  Is the view interesting as you look from one room another?  It should be!

X is for X Marks the Spot. Don't rush into completing your home.  Just like the X on the treasure map, some of the best things are worth the hunt.  Be willing to wait.

Y is for Youth.  Don't be too serious in your décor.  Everyone wants to see a little bit of your personality and you shouldn't be afraid to show it.

Z is for Zebra.  And all other animal prints for that purpose.  Animal print is a neutral that we easily commit to when it comes to clothing but shy away from in our homes.  The same principles hold true.  It mixes will with most patterns and colors.  Don't be afraid to bring the animals indoors.

If I have a spare moment, you can most likely find me leafing through magazines or design books in search of inspiration or furthering my professional education.  Often I can get through things pretty quickly but every once in a while I find a picture that stops me in my tracks.  Sometimes, I stop because there are key elements I'm drawn to, sometimes it's because there is nothing appealing and I stop to improve it in my head.  Rarely though, do I find pictures that inspire me in total...not so with the shot above.  I was immediately hooked.

What do I love about his room, you ask?  Here we go:

• Blue velvet tufted sofa...I imagine the sofa has been in the family forever and was recovered in this sumptuous color a few years back.
• The combo of the window pane fabric on the chairs with the floral accent pillows reminds me of a sports coat and tie...I'm a sucker for menswear.
• Two rugs...traditional wool knotted rug over the textural sisal creates a beautiful high-low moment.
• Accent fabrics are colorful and unrelated...I often wish I had to courage to do this in my own home but I have a hard time relinquishing control.
• The architecture of this room is shown off proudly...only one window is adorned with drapery.
• And how about that wall sconce?  The room is more traditional and then we get this rustic fixture on the wall, yet another high-low moment.

I'm going to continue to study this room and believe me, one day I will adopt a devil-may-care attitude toward throw pillows.  I promise I'll share when I do.

In case you haven't noticed, all hues of blue are taking center stage in décor.  While some would say that it never really left, others will remember its last hey day was about 15 years ago.  My experience with blues has run the gamut, from loving it as a kid, to not even allowing any blue in my first shop 10 years ago. But what I've come to realize since that self-imposed ban is that blue should play a role in everyone's life.

Blue is calm, classic, moody, and electric.  It conjures up the sea and the sky and is the keystone of ethnic patterns from China, Holland, and Africa. Simply put, blue is not going anywhere. So while it's surging, I recommend you find a way to bring it into your own home. 

While all shades are beautiful, I recommend you take a look at a true navy and a medium turquoise. They are the work horses of the blue family. Both are neutrals that will compliment and coordinate with practically any other color you pair with them.  Gray, coral, yellow, black...you name it.  They will make a stunning combo.  Just look below to see how beautiful the two are together.  Who'da thunk?

From a textile perspective, is there anything prettier than a blue velvet?  I don't think so.  Combine it with a rustic leather you'll have a perfect high-low combination as you can see in the photo below.

And just look at how much pattern mixing is going on below, yet it feels calm and restful.  Blue, you are a miracle worker!  So, am I blue?  Absolutely, and I promise to never ban you again!

I believe the key to beautiful design is combining the components of a room to create a cohesive whole.  That whole is part cooperation, part tension, part fun, and part drama.  The process can sometimes be bumpy, but with patience and communication, you can achieve a perfect union.  Sounds just like marriage, doesn't it.

I came across the picture above while browsing Facebook (although I can't remember who posted it) and I think it epitomizes that perfect union.  Notice the crustiness of the cast iron fireplace surround sitting directly across from the sleek acrylic cocktail table.  Look to at all the fresh live greenery in contrast to the wicker chairs and native stone walls.  The complimentary blue and green absolutely sing. There is texture upon texture, like the brick floor, sisal rug and patterned rug and rough hewn side table.

Take a lesson from this picture.  I think you can learn a lot about creating the perfect combo in your home.

This phrase can apply to so many things in our lives.  It could be a small tweak in your golf swing that starts producing that straight shot you've been after.  It could be a correction to your eyeglasses that clarifies everything you see.  It can even be a shift in your attitude that clears away the clouds and lets the sun shine.

Regardless of the situation, change is a real and necessary part of life. 

Since opening a month ago, I've been troubled by the north third of the shop.  It felt like a dance floor, wide open, no interest.  I put some thought into it and on Memorial Day my sister and I did a little rearranging.  The minor changes we made have had a major impact. 

Bye-bye dance floor! Hello cozy, comfortable vignettes.  I'd love to show you a few before and after photos, but I'd rather you come in and experience the space for yourself.  See you soon!

I LOVE MUSIC! There is rarely a moment in my daily life that is not filled with some melody, whether actual or imagined.  You see, I think life should have a soundtrack. No movie or TV show would be complete without one, so why not compose one for your own life.  

Mine is filled with all types of music, but the standards of the Great American Songbook play the most prominent role. Composers and lyricists like Cole Porter, Ira & George Gerschwin, Harold Arlen and Jerome Kern produced music with meaning that is as relevant today as it was 50 or more years ago. Their notes and words have been given voice by thousands of singers, but the four above are the ones I will never do without.

Dinah Washington, Stacey Kent, Michael Feinstein, and the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald never disappoint.  They are tender, they are riotous, and they are honest. They bring calm and comfort every day!

Give them a try...you won't be disappointed!

I love putting together a room whether it's in a real house or it's smack dab in the middle of my showroom.  The process for me is the same, regardless of the location.  I start with fabric...finding the perfect palette to fit the mood and then I begin to layer those colors in area rugs, artwork, accessories and lighting.  Some might consider this backward, but my fabrics selections have rarely led me down a bad path.  Add some texture, some visual interest, some personality and your room will sing.  Don't worry this sounds overwhelming, I've got complete Rooms To Go on the floor, and I'm more than happy to visit your space and develop a scheme specifically for you.

This week I had a customer order two of these beautiful high-backed Griffin Chairs from CR Laine Furniture. While the nearly 48 inch height gives them an incredible presence in any room, my client was brave enough to shift the stripe from the usual vertical orientation to a more fashion-forward horizontal presentation.  This kind of detail is what really separates the men from the boys, so to speak. 

I tell people over and over again that having interesting, personalized pieces are worth waiting for. It's only 8 weeks after all. To know that the chair was made especially for you, gives you a greater sense of ownership and it makes your interior distinctive.  Don't be afraid to express yourself...you'll be glad you did.

A few years ago, at home, I switched to a neutral palette for my upholstered pieces.  What fun it's been to throw colorful pillows like these on my sofas and chairs.  Get tired of one color scheme, find a new pillow and create a brand new look.  Don't underestimate the power of a 20" square piece of material.  It can be transforming!

Detail, Style and Comfort.  Find these three qualities in a chair and you have hit the Trifecta.  Sometimes a chair is pretty, but you don't really want to spend any time in it.  Other times, the comfort is there, but its looks border on ugly.  I'm here to tell you that you really don't need to sacrifice anything to hit the Trifecta.  Be willing to do a little searching, stray outside your comfort zone, if you have to, and I am sure you'll be able to find just the right chair, or sofa for that matter.  I found it in the Gustav Chair from CR Laine...and there are many more from Home at Last standing in line right behind him that fit the bill.