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I considered banning my husband from the den as a long term solution, but instead I put my interior designer tricks to good use. I took down the draperies and installed bamboo shades that go up and down. Surrounded by leather and bamboo (neither of which has any absorptive properties), he now uses napkins! He [...]
Next I tried full draperies– panels of that expensive interior designer fabric that flank the sides of each window, from ceiling to floor, and meet to close in the middle. With four big windows this was not an inexpensive interior designer treatment. I was hoping they would last more than a year, but my husband [...]
Don’t forget to check out my free interior design e-books. They offer great tips on DIY interior decorating through tip-sheets and more! DIY: Decorating Secrets Interior Design Secrets
I have an interior design story for you– its about my saga in the den with my husband. This room is an endless money pit and its time consuming. Kids peed on the sleeper sofa, the rug I replaced three times but the real problem, is really the window treatments. Window treatments is just a [...]
Why do you want lighting in front of you???? Because when recessed lighting is behind you, your body casts a shadow on the very surface you’re trying to light up. Find the spot where you normally lay your head on the pillows and install a recessed light for reading right above it. In kitchens, install [...]
Anything that gives off bright, focused light just where you need it will do the job, including recessed lighting, track lighting, pendant fixtures that suspend from the ceiling, wall sconces, and occasional adjustable table and floor lamps. For task lighting over the bed, a desk, or kitchen counters, you want the light installed in front [...]
Lights! Lights! It’s all about lights this week. Its easy to add reading lamps that bend or have extending arms and pivoting shades on a desk or by a bed (trust me, we interior designers do this all the time!). The light needs to reach you. You can also use wall scones by a bed, [...]
Task lighting is critical. It makes a room multifunctional. You have to be able to see what you are doing after all!! Don’t you just hate going into a powder or ladies’ room that is so dim and dark, its impossible to touch up your lipstick or see if they spilled something on the front [...]
If you’ve got tall people in your home, give thought to clearance. My husband if 6 feet, 6 inches tall. he can’t even clear door openings without bending. Luckily, this little interior designer is significantly shorter! However, to be nice to him I don’t even use ceiling fixtures in my home for ambient lighting. I [...]
As an interior designer, I’ve had to deal with a lot of ceiling fixtures. Some falling on me, some staying up. No just kidding. What I have learned is that decorative ceiling fixtures, the kind that mount directly on the ceiling, should hang no more than 10 to 12 inches for an 8-foot-tall room. For [...]
