Our client needed to use a wheelchair while recovering from West Nile virus when we started this house. We knew everything needed to be handicap-accessible. This wide entryway area permits plenty of room for a wheelchair to enter. Today, more Dallas homeowners than ever are interested in aging-in-place, whether that means making renovations to their current home, finding a home that is wheelchair-accessible, or building a new home. This is especially true of the baby boomer generation, many of whom watched their parents go to assisted living. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1991 ..read more

With Thanksgiving out of the way, many Dallas homeowners are now getting serious about decking the halls. If you're still perfecting your home's holiday look for Christmas, here are some do's and don'ts you can keep in mind. When it comes to ornaments, I recommend metallic colors, like the ones on the Christmas tree seen here. Some ornaments resemble fruit, adding a whimsical touch. To start with, you can give your Christmas tree a cohesive look by choosing ornaments that complement the rest of the room's colors. Varying the ornaments in three basic sizes will create also interest ..read more

This blue sofa with yellow throw pillows perfectly matches the colors we chose for this SMU Theta sorority house in Dallas. Sofas are one of those “anchor pieces” that define the look of the whole room. Since they aren’t inexpensive, you’ll want to find one that you can enjoy sitting on and looking at for years to come. Following is a checklist of four things that I, as an interior designer, would suggest that people keep in mind as they shop. 1. Scale Consider the different ways that you sit or lounge on a sofa. Do you like to sit with your legs up? Make sure that the sofa is deep enough to ..read more

When we renovated this Spanish Colonial house in Kessler Park, we left the existing fireplace. It is surrounded with Rookwood tiles. If you don’t have a fireplace, you may have wondered about what it takes to have one built. There are a lot of options out there: how do you decide which one is best for your Dallas home? On the other hand, maybe you have a fireplace already and want to give the mantel a major facelift for the holidays. Whether you already have a fireplace or are building a house for the first time, these tips should help you get started in your design process. If you’re plannin ..read more

We mixed wrought iron and concrete faux bois furniture in this Kessler Park outdoor seating area to create a more interesting look. An outdoor party takes a little more planning than an indoor one. Here are some of my personal tips for making sure everyone has a great time at your next barbecue, cocktail hour, or pool party. 1. Seating: For this North Dallas project, it worked out better to have two small tables with umbrellas instead of one large table. Once you’ve figured out how many guests you’ll be having, you can determine what your seating arrangements will be. Will your guests be sea ..read more

We used matching fabrics for the chairs and umbrellas to give this poolside outdoor living area a consistent look. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to watch pool trends come and go and help choose pool shapes, finishes, and pool furniture for my Dallas clients. Here are some of the things I’ve learned about pools during my career as an interior designer. 1. Determine How You’ll Use Your Pool First, if you’re thinking of building a pool, you need to list the different ways you plan on enjoying it. Do you want your pool to be for family recreation, personal fitness, entertaining, or a c ..read more

Using a variety of lights creates a balanced and professionally-lit exterior, like this Dallas home we helped to design. I’ve discussed interior lighting design in previous articles, but today I want to address exterior lighting because it’s really important for accenting your home and landscape. Exterior lighting helps you get the most out of your outdoor living spaces, even during short winter days. It’s also crucial for personal safety: a well-lit property gives intruders fewer places to hide. Below, I’ll go over some of the things I’ve learned about exterior lighting as a design professio ..read more

English style can work with both warm or cool colors. Pink adds a whimsical touch to this English cottage we designed. English style has been making a comeback lately. If I had to make a guess as to why, I think it’s because English furniture is a little bit simpler than French or Italian style furniture. It mixes really well with a modern home. If you’re drawn to English style but are worried that incorporating it will date your interior design, you’ll be glad to know that an English-inspired home can still look very current. In this article, I’ll give an overview of the key characteristics ..read more

When we frame and hang wallpaper panels, like these seen here, we don’t add glass in order to keep them lightweight. Framing art is a project that people tend to put off because there are so many decisions involved. It’s not just the frame that you have to select: you also have to choose the right mat and decide whether you want glass, plexiglass, or no glass. As an interior designer, I love to work with clients who are art collectors. Here are some of the things I’ve learned while framing my clients’ art pieces. Protecting Valuable or Personal Art If you’re looking to reframe multiple art pi ..read more

The bedside chest in this photo is painted in a neutral wash to balance out the bold oranges in the rest of the room. Painting is a great way to update old and tired furniture with worn finishes. Painted furniture has been around for hundreds of years, and you can see examples of it in every major interior design style. For example, whitewashed furniture is traditionally used in Sweden to make a room feel brighter during Scandinavia’s dark and dreary winters. In Asia, a lot of antique furniture is painted in a cinnabar color with a high-gloss finish or black lacquer with a little gilding. Tha ..read more