When we began the process of working with our long-time clients to remodel their kitchen and awesome sunroom, I was thrilled that we were chosen to help. Set on 25 acres of land, the house boasts a breathtaking view. As always, we started with a CAD plan, then selected plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, granite, and cabinet styles. We selected new furnishings for the sunroom using Sunbrella fabrics because of its durability and resistance to...

I have always loved old gesso art pieces. They are inherently fragile, flaking, and chipping with use. Think about that patina and try to duplicate it on the furniture you plan to paint. If you have some hand-me-down wooden furniture, paint it or whitewash it. I typically use flat paint and wax over the top for protection. A painted piece can look like a sculpture and really hold its own in a space. I have two eighteenth century...

When a client still has their furnishings of 20 years, they want to shift into neutral. These days, we suggest neutral surroundings with surprise pop of color in the pillows and accents. You can start by painting walls, adding window treatments, and then replacing furnishings. Sometimes there is nothing more beautiful than multiple textures in a neutral room. One suggestion would be to start with a linen texture on the window, faux...

When we started with a Buena Vista House last fall, we knew that it should be traditional to fit right into the historic neighborhood. The house came together beautifully with light colors, white cabinets, a well planned kitchen, great tile, and an awesome laundry room. We carefully selected lighting for each room, taking great consideration to fit the style in each room. This house is worth visiting because it is comfortably balanced...

A continuation of our blog posted on June 16, this living room turned home office is now complete. When we started this project, we combined colors and made it transitional. With the open plan, our proposal for the office needed to flow into the adjacent dining room. Our clients love color so we gave them color. Red chairs, teal blue rug, and combined colors for the window treatment and artwork. The rug had all the colors being...

Great color and great design is trend-proof. Harmonize effortlessly with hardwood flooring, fabrics, and other textures in the room. Combining color and pattern is a stylish way to transform any space. Recently, speaking with many vendors in Atlanta, they say blue continues to dominate the market and seems to be trend-proof. The shades of blue at recent markets range from cobalt to navy, royal blue to teal, cerulean to powder blue. This...

When designing for clients, we take notes very carefully so that we don’t miss important details. Some say they want their new room timeless, some say easy and casual. Fabrics and upholstered furnishings are the easiest way to achieve the exact look a client is going for. With manufacturers offering customized furniture, we can select the exact length of a sofa or loveseat down to the inch, or arrange a sectional in any...

Have you noticed all the graphic patterns in fabrics, furniture, trims, and wallpaper these days? Diamonds, Greek key, chevron, zig zag, fabrics that look like a maze, pyramids, dots, circles, and trellis. We love using the Greek key pattern on window treatments banding the leading edge and bottom. We recently ordered a chest with the Greek key pattern carved around the top. Most of these patterns are from our past and are pulled from...

If you are struggling with what to do this Spring to refresh your home, take all your pillows and store them, and start over with fresh colorful choices. It could be multiple forms of geometrics with two to three colors, for instance, Blue, Red, and Flax. We design pillows every day and my favorite is to take a flax fabric and paint the design I want on it to coordinate with several fabrics. It could be a red X spreading across a 12 x 21...

A recent article featured on North Carolina Design shares the details about our 2014 Fall Parade Homes entry in Mill House Place Winston-Salem. Sharing details about this beautiful lake house retreat today is guest blogger Winston-Salem interior designer June DeLugas, of June DeLugas Interiors. Not only do I like her work, I count her as a good friend. This project offers soothing tones that flow well from room to room. Much thanks...

January is a month to clean out closets, think about what you want to do for the year, and make to do lists for your husband. Does your husband complain? I am sure he would prefer you make New Year’s resolutions without making a honey do list for him. The reality is we are all hoarders. We collect, change, and resist getting rid of items not being used. Take me for instance, I keep everything thinking my grown children will...

Paint will change your house to create any look you want, whether it’s modern, traditional, rustic, or contemporary. In most every home we start with, paint is always our friend. Furniture, cabinets, light fixtures, curtain rods, and of course walls can all obtain a new look with a fresh coat of paint. We recently decided to paint real cherry cabinets in a kitchen because the room itself was too dark. Mature trees blocked most of the...

The Home Builder’s Association of Winston Salem asked me to speak at their monthly builder’s luncheon for December. They gave me the subject of pantries and closets and asked what the trends are. Our clients seem to be moving toward the same direction and that is organized closet systems and bigger and better pantries. We have recently designed a few pantries with desks as part of the concept. Photos attached will show you...

America has a sense of tradition coming back in all forms. Furniture manufacturers alike are introducing options for tradition again. The creativity that we see is amazing. Lillian August, Suzanne Kasler, and Alexa Hampton all have great style juxtaposing tradition with contemporary. We, ourselves, love using the unconventional with the conventional furnishings. For instance, we used a ThinkGlass island top, juxtaposing old textured...

Go Green…don’t sweat the elaborate centerpieces when you can use fresh greenery. We consider fresh greenery sophisticated and it blends with any decor including holiday. Another great thing about fresh greenery is the clean fragrance. We add preserved moss to many of our containers that is simple and beautiful especially with a white container. Imagine all white, red and mossy green on a table. Red chargers can balance...

With today’s custom possibilities, decor has never been more personal. In design where anything’s possible, experience makes a difference. We are challenged daily to create extraordinary designs…it could be an office armoire to store files, books, and printers or a nightstand to fit a particular dimension and color. Upholstery pieces are also an important customization we can offer clients. When there is a custom...

The lure of a kitchen is undeniable; a kitchen is where we live. No matter the occasion or time of day, from tempting aromas of coffee in the morning to fresh baked bread, it’s the room that seems to have the magnetic pull. Creating a kitchen where people can sit with family and friends to eat, converse, read and just relax is our specialty. Comfort in the kitchen is the key.

It is that time of year when we begin to think of our plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas. What are we going to cook and how do we get our friends together and also schedule family? A visually interesting table setting is a beginning. Most of us have more than one set of dishes. For me, I purchased a complete 4 place setting of 4 colors from a French antique dealer many years ago that I can blend into any setting. We tend to be casual...

At the July market in Atlanta and the High Point market in October, we definitely noticed a trend towards multiple velvets… velvet cotton, velvet silk, velvet polyester. Most of our vendors had about every color selection they could find from textile mills. Of course, we love all the colors offered. We conjured designs of pillows in our heads as we were privy to the newest colors and fabrics around. Our retail shoppe and showroom has...

If you’ve been keeping up with our Facebook posts, you know that we have been at the High Point Market all week. We love going to market as it gives us a chance to see and try out all the new products and fabrics from our favorite vendors. Although we saw several new colors and trends, the oriental theme had an even stronger presence than last year, as did the combination of blue and orange. Combining multiple fabrics on one piece seemed...

Fall is a great time to think about upgrading your bedroom; you will be glad to have a new beautiful bed to snuggle up in by the time winter comes. We carry several lines of luxury bedding, including Sferra, Bella Notte, Peacock Alley, Pom Pom, Eastern Accents, Traditions Linens, and more. Our clients have begun to request upholstered headboards and beds, so we decided to order an upholstered bed for the showroom which we made up with fine...

It’s almost here! For several months, we have hashed out every last detail of the new home at 1391 Pheasant Lane to make it as spectacular as possible. Partnering with Don Hamrick (Custom Homes by Hamrick), we started by making some adjustments to the floor plan, and then moved on to kitchen & bath layouts. We then selected exterior materials, tile, granite, cabinetry, flooring, light fixtures, and lastly, paint colors. Once the...

With the High Point Market fast approaching, we are constantly getting emails and postcards from all types of vendors inviting us to their showrooms. It is always an exciting time to get to see all of the new products and trends. This year, the focus seems to be on textures and silhouettes. I’m sure we will also see many new colors and patterns. We look forward to the fresh inspiration that we will bring to our showroom and into our...

Many of our new clients haven’t ever worked with a designer, so they aren’t sure how the process works. Sometimes, a client will start with a small project to see if they like working with us. It is a great compliment when a client returns to us ready to begin their second project. Two years ago, we began working with a client who needed help with an addition onto her home. We reworked the kitchen layout and selected finishes for...

For the past few weeks, we have been remodeling and updating our showroom. We began with freshly painted walls and then proceeded to rearrange the store. In addition to a fresh layout, we continue to receive new inventory daily including artwork, light fixtures, and accessories. We are also expecting a new upholstered bed and a dining table soon. For our new bed, we will be acquiring a beautiful collection of linens from our new luxury...

Last week, we wrote about how mixing different types of light bulbs can produce undesired effects. Now try choosing paint colors under all those types of light. Many clients come to us needing help choosing paint colors. I assure them that it is not an easy task, and even with years of experience, we sample several colors before finding the perfect one. We start by choosing a handful of colors and then paint a sample of that color on a large...

If you read our last blog, you know we are fully enveloped in several kitchen remodels. New cabinets, countertops, and tile are pretty much standard when upgrading your kitchen. But what about lighting? Recessed can lights have replaced the strip fluorescent lights that were in many kitchens in the 80s. Pendant lights over an island increase brightness while adding visual interest. Under-counter lighting is now highly desired, as it adds...