A Few of my Favorite Things

I love reading House Beautiful when they ask interiors experts to share some of their favorite things. So, I decided, since they haven't asked me yet, I'd take it upon myself to share my favorites here, and when they do ask I'll have it all prepared!

House Beautiful Questions for Style

Sofa shape – classic sofa w/ tufted back and bench cushion


Stationery – Pineider, Power Elegance in white with green border

Comfort Food- Amy’s soy mac and cheese, really good rice pudding, smoked fish

Lamp- Anything by Barbara Berry, and this great mirrored hexagonal base lamp at Baker

Alarm Clock-my Blackberry

Mattress – Serta, extra-firm with a down mattress cover

Everyday dishes – Love my white Nantucket dinnerware from World Market

All-purpose Glass – Manchester Glassware (you get it at Target)

Soap –Caswell & Massey

Ice Cream – pistachio almond (but only if I remember my Lactaid), Rose Geranium
Sorbet (love anything flowery)

Towel –Nandina bamboo towels, in white

Chair –Jacque Garcia’s Verdi Lounge Chair – looks amazing in any fabric you can dream


Wallpaper – David Roos

Sheets –Macy’s Hotel Collection, 600 thread-count in white, starched and pressed

Cleaning supply – Mrs. Meyer’s in Geranium or Lavender

Showerhead –12” Etoile head from Waterworks

Light bulb/wattage – 60 wts

Kitchen gadget – Hand mixer (the wand type). I use it almost every day

Pen – Pelikan fountain pen, medium nib w/ blue ink (just for writing letters), Pilot
Precise V7 in blue (everyday), but I mostly use pencils

Artist – Agnes Martin, Kirchner, and Egon Schiele

Car Color – Gray w/ camel leather interior

Color – Gray Wisp (Benjamin Moore), or any gray shade….moving into taupe or French gray

Picture frame – dark wooden, heavy, with lots of carving

Scented candle –Diptique Maquis and Archipelago Versailles

Toothpaste – Crest for sensitive teeth

Vacuum – Miele

Workhorse fabric – Heavy linen in white or natural

Coffee or Tea – Both – Community coffee w/ chicory in the morning and earl gray tea w/ room after 10am


Flower – Anything white. Particularly peonies, roses and daisies, but only one type of flower per bouquet. In spring I can handle pale colored tulips and peonies

Bed Pillow – Multiple and down

Coffee Table Book – The Sensual Home by Ilse Crawford. The cover is dreamy, and the content always makes your creative wheels turn

Candy - Snowcaps

Autumn-isation of your Home

I love this time of year. I love the chill in the air, the colors of falling leaves, the deep purple sky, people wrapped in cashmere scarves, and the smell of cloves and cinnamon. There are all kinds of fun ways to bring the outside in, with the exception of chilly winds.

I've listed some of my favorite quick tips:

1. Change out throw pillows. Target and World Market have great, inexpensive options for decorative pillows. Also, check out spots like Tuesday Morning and TJ Maxx. I put my cool gray and celedon throws away (in bags stuffed with geranium drier sheets), and replaced them with leopard and red overstuffed options. These are great for throwing on the floor for extra seating or snugging up for a cozy nap!

2. Something is in the air. Pay attention to sounds. I love playing classical music while I work on chilly days. Not Christmas music, but selections like Tchaikovsky: Autumn Song from The Seasons, Vivaldi: "Autumn" from The Four Seasons, Vernon Duke: Autumn in New York.

3. Not much for baking gingerbread? You can still find amazing scents for autumn in candles and creating your own potions. If I'm feeling creative I go to Aroma Workshop in Lincoln Park and blend oils like balsam, Dalmation sage (gives an earthy smell), Myhrr (smells like church), clove bud and immortelle (herby-earthy). Placing difusers or lamp rings gives a hint of scent wherever.
My favorite candles for the holidays include Votivo's Christmas Cedar, and Diptique's Myhr. A great resource for both is on Candle Delirium.

Remodeling To-Do List

Depending on the scope of your project, here are the steps typically necessary in order to pull off a successful remodel. For smaller projects, pull out what you don’t need and move to the next task.

1. Make a list of what you want in the way of function from your room. Pull out graph paper or make an “ideal” floor plan. Trick it out with every ideal feature, but note what is a priority. If you’re working with a designer or architect you can hand this information over and get a more technical or precise drawing.

2. Create a budget and be certain to give cushions. This is an investment and you really want to stay in your financial comfort-zone, but also not skimp on anything. You want the best materials you can afford, AND the happiest craftsmen & contractors. Trust me.

3. Interview contractors. After you get a design nailed down start interviewing contractors. Here are the essentials.
a. Make a list of what you need done and go over your “vision,” with the candidate
b. Get copies of insurance and CHECK that premiums are paid. I can’t tell you how many copies of liability insurance policies I’ve checked and the premiums haven’t been paid.
c. Have 3 references from each candidate and CHECK them. I ask for two client references and one professional reference. I want to make certain their work is quality and their business ethic is strong. Of course, they aren’t going to give you any references they think might give negative information, so also check BBB and Angie’s List.
d. Talk about time-line and ask for periodic check-ins. Because I send a progress report weekly to all remodel clients, I ask for an update every Thursday evening from my sub-contractors
e. Cheapest isn’t always best. Wherever your bids come in, and whomever you choose, I have a personal tip. This is, always pay a little more than was quoted. This can be as little as $100, but it will be a token of trust and enthusiasm for your contracted workers. Bidders are competitive, and will typically low-ball. You want these people excited about showing up, and you want them to take pride in your job…knowing that you see them as an investment.

4. Building Permits. Most cities require a building permit. In some cases the contractor will take care of this, but not always. Just google the name of your city, and “remodel permit,” and something will pop right up.

5. Cushion. Write up some “house rules,” for workers, as in where to park, times to be on site, where they can store their tools and supplies and a calendar. Pin this info up in a prominent place. Also, give a finish date, and then add 1-2 weeks for your secret “cushion.” Don’t tell a soul about this, but know that it will keep you from rushing or planning a party the day after your “completion date.” Also, it’s a great idea to plan a few treats for yourself during the process. Something to calm your nerves. I cannot stress how much better it is to move into temporary dwellings if you are having a major make-over. I’ve created “camp-out” kitchens in a pinch, but it’s not pleasant.

On the Cheap

Because a great deal of my life has been spent as a student, I am forever looking for savvy solutions to design dilemmas. Here are a few favorite decorating finds for under $5:

1. Decorative light switch plates start around $1.50, and offer great architectural detail, and a finished touch.

2. Local thrift and resale shops often have assorted decorative picture frames. Let the frame be your art by layering several on a mantel, or hanging clusters on a wall. Various sized frames can be found for .50 - $2.00 each.

3. Natural burlap can be purchased for less than $1.00 per yard, and makes a fantastic window treatment. Finish edges with iron-on hem tape or fabric glue and thread onto a tension rod. The result is an interesting curtain that provides privacy, but also allows a little light.

4. A favorite resource for decorating odds and ends is Oriental Trading. Woven bamboo beach mats are amazing little treasures, and can be used as floor mats, table toppers, or hung from the ceiling as room dividers in a loft or over sized room. All this versatility for $2.99! I became very creative using these mats, when I found myself in German student housing!

5. Cut glass beads threaded on ribbon make elegant tie-backs or fan pulls.


6. These tiny vases from Ikea are amazing. Place in clusters on a dressing table, or use as a centerpiece.

Just a Few of My Favorite Things...

I'm in St. Louis this week to participate in some Mid Century Modern festivities. This has inspired all kinds of fun in my brain, so as soon as returning to my hotel I found vintage fabric resources to pair with my new finds.

I'm currently working on a few children's rooms where the larger home decor is on the contemporary side. Most folks see baby nurseries as more traditional; pastels, lace and eyelet. Transferring the traditional color pallet to a more modern, simple line and graphic aesthetic is a really fun challenge.

Here are a few of my favorite spots for creating these spaces.

Repro Depot Fabrics - a great resource for vintage reproductions. I especially love the 20's-40's lines. They even have the coated fabrics and "oilcloth," that makes for the most cheerful outdoor dining areas, and casual buffets. These pics below just make me want to make a nursery!



Another great site for fabrics is Warm Biscuit. I've found a fantastic "owl" themed fabric that will be perfect for a 2-year old boy's big-boy room I'm creating. I'll use the fabric for window treatments and matress covers.

And for Mid-Century treasure hunts in St. Louis, try one of these. I LOVE them...dishes, art, light fixtures...oh my!

TFA is overflowing will all kinds of goodies. Take your imagination, and recovering some of the sofas and chairs in eco-elegant fabrics, or refinishing a piece of Danish Modern in a darker stain. The prices are so good you can get really creative. Part of the beauty of Mid-Century is the clean lines, which makes wood and fabrics stand out.



Circa is also a treasure trove. Full of reloved, reclaimed Mid Century designs, this is a great spot for the purist. Most everything they have is done very authentically. I want one of everything for my own condo!

Tipping the Scales

If you've taken a design class you've likely learned about the principles and elements of design. The principles tell us how to implement the elements of design (fun to come later). You may roll your eyes when you read these few lines, but I believe I can make this short and painless. I'm going to try because I think the principles are an enormous deal and can help greatly when creating a space that looks and feel "right."

Scale and Proportion are my own personal bugaboos when it comes to The Principles. When I walk in a room and see something out of scale I want to start propping things up, or shaving things off. See this example as a "scale don't," as applied to a mantel arrangement. There is a lack of sophistication:




Scale refers to the way an object measures up to other objects in the room or other objects in an arrangement. After many years of working the scale principal, most professional designers apply this by eye, but there is a tool that will help. It's called the Golden Section, and it really works wonders.


To make it super easy, I divide a space or object into 1/3s, and take 2/3s of that and leave use it as one space, then take 1/3 and divide it into 1/3s. Does that make sense?

Here is an example of a well scaled space. Look at it verticaly and see how the fireplace is about 2/3s of the overall piece, with the mantel making the final 1/3. Of that top bit. Of the top mantel, the flowers are about 1/3 of the horizontal space, leaving the last 2/3 simple, even though the flowers cross into the larger space. Get it?



Proportion is simply a principle applied to how an object is designed, and how it's parts compare to it's other parts. I've seen some funky, disproportionate chairs...you know, the style that look like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book, or Alice in Wonderland? And this is fine as a fun, whimsical piece, but not really something you'd want a room full of.



Just do a little experiment: Take this Golden Section formula and try it on a collection of objects on a table, or on a photographic wall hanging. By eye, divide things into 3rds. Use 2/3s in one way and the remaining in another. Savour the section, I say...make it work for you. I swear, your going to work magic with this little trick.

{the mantels were taken from HGTV.com}