By now, most of you have held your breath at some recent posts, showing breathtaking furniture, art, lighting, and antique finds. All that is great when you have the budget and inclination - but it is also great just to learn. What we can take from these furnishings items that range from Iconic to groundbreaking to just plain fabulous - we can learn so much about the look, shape & form, upholstery principles, the origins, the how and why. When we set out to purchase things within our budget and other constraints, we can certainly draw on this knowledge base to make determinations about; qu ..read more

Katharina Chapuis’ Goal “My goal as a painter is to address the many layers of complex nuances and subtle interactions between the physical world and the underlying constructs of the immaterial. I strive to work beyond the traditionally divided space into forms of open, visually fluid fields, revealing movement, light and vibration. Working through discovery and intuition rather than the preconception or linear thinking, combine the spontaneous use of color with a slow process of multiple layers of translucent oil washes, building the surface until it shifts towards a luminous atmosphere ..read more

“My goal as a painter is to address the many layers of complex nuances and subtle interactions between the physical world and the underlying constructs of the immaterial. I strive to work beyond the traditionally divided space into forms of open, visually fluid fields, revealing movement, light and vibration.” “Working through discovery and intuition rather than the preconception or linear thinking, combine the spontaneous use of color with a slow process of multiple layers of translucent oil washes, building the surface until it shifts towards a luminous atmosphere.” Katharina Capuis I fi ..read more

Congratulations! You’ve decided to hire an Interior Designer. You’ve been on several designer’s websites and narrowed it down to several whom you think you might want to hire. The next step is to interview each one, but what questions should you ask? Below are some good open-ended questions to ask, assuming you have seen their work and reviewed their website. Explain your business model. How do you work? This should open up a conversation about many areas (including fees), that will help you to understand the designer’s process, their own goals, and will give you insight into their company ..read more

(this is a repost of an earlier blog of mine) You can read a bit about Martha in this post also here. I love to re-frame other’s perceptions about things, and certainly this applies to design! When I meet new clients, I feel pretty lucky.  I believe that I can quickly read what they are looking for, where they want to be involved and where they don’t care to be involved.  Every so often, I enjoy the concept of “Carte Blanche” from a client who knows my work, and they trust me to execute a look they will love.  Now, mind you, it’s never really carte blanche, I still have to ..read more

There is much to be said for creating vision. I love to try and do this through conversation and materials and looking for the light in my Client’s eyes. I find (or, I believe I find) that I’m often successful in helping my Clients see the spaces in their mind’s eye, and appreciate the change that is about to come. However, at the risk of being too literal, we all love to see a vision more fully flushed-out, more revealed in a manifest of sketch, colour and even computer technology. Here are some of those, who I think are the very best, the masters at this art form - be it a fluid loose waterc ..read more

Perhaps Fabric, perhaps Rugs, perhaps just Fantasy - here below are some of Tord Boonjte’s wonderful textile creations and textile installations! Learn more about Tord Boonjte's Lighting Designs THESE SHEERS ONLY SHOW THEIR COLOUR WHEN FOLDED UPON ITSELF - I SEE THIS AS MULTI - LAYERED ROOM DIVIDER CURTAINS, MUCH LIKE LAYERS OF CRINOLINE UNDER A HAUTE COUTURE GOWN! PRODUCED THROUGH KRAVDAT FABRICS, THIS WOULD MAKE A FABULOUS UNDER SHADE FOR A PAIR OF RED CURRANT COLOURED SILK DRAPERIES. ALSO PRODUCED BY KRAVDAT, THIS WOOL WOULD BE JUST FINE AS A HEADBOARD COVERING, BEDDING AND COVERLET ON ..read more

I first learned of Tord Boontje in 2009 when I was in New York, at the Swarovski showroom. We were designing a chandelier, and Tord was one of my great inspirations. Like any great designer, he has forged his aesthetic in a mysterious and mythical way - always unique and specific to the moment. Tord Boontje came from the Netherlands to London to create designs that meld design and emotion that cover a range of products - here I would like to show you his lighting. You can jump to the post that shows his fabrics here ….. Learn more about Tord Boontje's Textiles The Capture Pendant “Tord Boontj ..read more

By now, most of you have held your breath at some recent posts, showing breathtaking furniture, art, lighting, and antique finds. All that is great when you have the budget and inclination - but it is also great just to learn. What we can take from these furnishings items that range from Iconic to groundbreaking to just plain fabulous - we can learn so much about the look, shape & form, upholstery principles, the origins, the how and why. When we set out to purchase things within our budget and other constraints, we can certainly draw on this knowledge base to make determinations about; qu ..read more

I recently discovered the artistic works of Reza Derakshani, whose work I already love. Admittedly in the upper price brackets - the idea is to appreciate, to learn, and discover. Like most all art really, certainly abstract art, it is a good thing to try and let the artwork speak to you, as it asks you to contemplate. You don’t need to “know what it is”, you don’t need to pronounce it good or bad. I insist that what you must do is allow yourself to feel the work and see if it can take you somewhere - anywhere. For my interior design clients (in Lancaster PA and all over the country) who alrea ..read more