If you've ever discussed decorating or redesigning a home with me, you've probably heard me talk about "function first, then pretty".  I am a true believer that if a space does not serve its function well then it doesn't matter how pretty it is...you won't be happy with it if it doesn't work for you.  The same concept can be applied to accessorizing a room.  I love using "functional" accessories, items that serve a purpose while helping make a space pretty.  Baskets are my absolute personal favorite.  I especially love wicker baskets, which add both texture and warmth, while also serving to contain or hide other objects.  I could spend hours in the "basket" section of Hobby Lobby admiring all the different styles and colors, dreaming up ways I could use them in my home.  (Ok, I know that seems excessive but I don't actually spend that much time there.  I...

Have you ever decided to buy a new piece of furniture, measured your space, picked out something that fit within those measurements, got it home, and thought, “Wow, this seems a lot bigger than it did in the store!”?  So what went wrong?  In decorating, the size of an individual object tends to be less important than scale, or its size relative to the other things around it.  Think about most furniture stores for a moment.  They tend to be large, wide open spaces with very high ceilings.  Even the largest piece of furniture doesn’t seem all that big in this kind of space.  Now put that same large piece in a twelve by twelve room with an eight foot ceiling, and it suddenly seems bigger than its actual size.  Understanding scale is important to creating rooms that feel balanced and pleasing to the eye.  The size of each piece of furniture should make sense compared to the size of the room itself, as well as to all...

I found this article on hgtv.com written by H. Camille Smith titled "Decorate with Flowers for Spring".  It's got great pictures of lovely interiors and amazing spring flower arrangements that are sure to get you inspired.  Bring on the warm weather and bright colors of the season!!

A room filled with great looking furniture is a good start when you're trying to create a beautiful space you'll love spending time in, but it's only that...a good start.  In order to achieve that pulled-together, designer style so many of us strive for, the right artwork and accessories are key.  A room with no art on the walls or accessories layered in just feels unfinished and often a little cold, no matter how nice the furniture itself looks.  The following Before & After pics show just what we mean.  We recently did the accessorizing for a client who had great style and beautiful furniture but needed help taking her space to the next level.

A great looking room is no accident…It often results from one inspired idea that can be developed into a full blown design plan.  Sometimes the hardest part of the whole process is finding that inspiration; but once you find it, it can really get you focused on how you want the room to look and feel.  Your inspiration can be anything from an idea that determines your style direction or an object or piece of art that inspires your color palette.  We recently did some decorating for a sorority house at Western Illinois University, and our inspiration for this project came from some great art we found at art.com.  First, we turned their bland and mostly unused dining room into their very own cozy coffee house.  We used coordinating coffee-related art on the walls; and the table centerpieces contained actual coffee beans, which made the room smell really great.  Then we took their TV/hangout room from boring and cold...