A Sweet Suite!

Recently, I had the pleasure of spending a little time with Mr. Television Personality himself; Christopher Lowell. If you’ve been addicted to decorating for more than 10 years, you will certainly remember him as the theatrically entertaining guy who brought us the 7 layers of design. His easy to understand approach to decorating helped many women do it for themselves; find their style and transform their homes.

Interior design trends of course have changed over the years and we are now seeing the trend toward “Hotel at Home”. Many of my clients have expressed a desire to have their homes, particularly their master bedrooms and baths, look and feel like the luxury suites at their favorite hotels. There is no reason why you can’t enjoy the pleasure of similar spaces all the time!

Additionally, if you’re in the process of selling your home, here’s a tip for you; one way to make sure that your home makes a great first impression is to make the master bedroom look and feel fabulous.

If you know what you like, you have the inspiration already to get started. If you don’t quite know what turns you on, visit a few 5-Star Hotels in your neck of the woods. Take a few pictures of the lobby, pick up their brochures and be inspired to recreate it. With February right around the corner, wouldn’t it be lovely to turn up the heat in that master suite as a valentine's gift for the love of your life? Forget about a box of candy and go for a sweet suite! Think about it… Be inspired!

What Hue are You?

I’m talking about color clues to define you... your hue. I love pink. It’s on my website, on my marketing materials, in my office and in my wardrobe. Thanks to one of my fabulous students, I now do many of my interior transformations in a pretty pair of pink crocs! In large doses I prefer a very soft palette, but in small doses, hot pink packs a pretty punch. For some people, pink is the color of bubblegum and Pepto Bismol and not very attractive. That doesn’t offend me at all. For me, pink is the blending of the power of red and the wisdom of white. It strikes a perfect balance. Pink defines the ability to be powerful enough to push forward and wise enough to know when to relax. It’s the blending of these colors that speak to me.

That’s the truth of color; it’s purely and totally unambiguous. We all respond to color differently and it’s our response to it that makes it good or not so good. I believe that if there is a color that makes your heart sing, it should absolutely be invited into your décor. If you think that you aren’t partial to a color, take a look at the clothes in your closet for a clue. You’ll be surprised at what that will reveal. If there is a color that you simply cannot stand, there is a wonderful color system that says you should even bring something of that color into your space, in order to improve an area of yourself or your life that has been somewhat neglected.

I had the pleasure of meeting and learning about color from Dewey Sadka, the creator of that ground breaking system; the Dewey Color System. I’ve learned the skill of color analysis and the myriad ways to incorporate color into the decoration of homes. I love the premise behind his thought provoking program; he truly made color easy. Although I love the color pink, I’m not “a pink” according to his program, as the color selection is much more advanced. The definition attached to the colors that I chose truly describes my personality. The science of color is simply fascinating and worth exploring. What's your hue? Be inspired.

To Market, To Market!

Atlanta’s AmericasMart was recently a hub of activity; the January Market! Thousands of people streaming from showroom to showroom; merchants searching for items that will appeal to the people who visit their stores and designers and decorators carefully considering items that will inspire their next incredible interior design. I too was in search of a treasure of sorts for a client relocating to Atlanta. I found the most wonderful colorful rug collection and I just want to share it with you, because beauty is meant to be shared! I suspect that this collection would even transform the most careful lover of muted shades into one who would welcome the embrace of the power and energy of hue. With colors so vibrant and pure, to simply say that these rugs are diverse and appealing is an understatement. If you love color and are looking to update a room for yourself or for a client, take a look at Company C. Their spring line for 08 will make you believe that it is indeed possible to walk on the strokes of Picasso’s paint brush! With more and more homes being built without the traditional wall to wall carpet, homeowners are going to be looking for fabulous ways to enhance and soften beautiful hardwood floors. Check out www.companyc.com and Be Inspired.

Inspiration by Invasion???

Honey, we’ve been robbed! Unlike the television shows of today, no one came to my home to perform a “dust and lift” for fingerprints of the perpetrator. Talk about a reality check! There was no dragnet plan to catch a thief. Just a police report and a home bereft of peace by a burglar. This was my reality in November 2007. Unfortunately someone (or possibly misguided teenagers) decided that they would take what they didn’t deserve to have and sell what they did not labor to obtain. In the days and weeks that followed our home invasion, I was haunted; not by the fact that things were taken, but that someone with whom we had no connection had come into our sanctuary, uninvited, and had plundered through our most intimate spaces, bringing negative energy into the place that we call home. That incident confirmed for me just how powerful the connection between the home and the soul. It’s not the price or location of the home that makes it such. It’s the understanding that within its walls, we exist. It’s the place where we’re loved the most and laugh the best. Home; where we express our personalities in the things that we do and in the décor that we choose. I will admit that it took us a little while to get back that loving feeling. As a family, we’re doing better these days and have adjusted to our new normal. We decided that we would finally use the previously unused security system, but would not be prisoners in our own home.

As the holidays approached, we made our plans. With our “Thanksgiving” travelling shoes on, over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we drove; hundreds of miles away. For Christmas we decorated the Christmas tree with perfect peacock feathers, and sparkling teal butterflies, accented with chocolate and teal ribbon and a touch of gold. We laughed and ate and sang and danced, played and prayed and enjoyed our home just as we’d done in years past. We were together, filled with life and love.

Despite the fact that my laptop was stolen, including all of the photos which chronicled my livelihood (no backup), I was able to regroup and keep my business going. With a training class scheduled for the following week, I learned quickly that my business truly flows from the inside out and is not limited by the use of technology or the lack thereof. I believe that all things work together for our good. Whether the experience is of joy or pain there is a lesson to be learned and a story to share that might be of benefit to another.

The world has indeed changed but as the words of the soulful gospel artist Pastor Marvin L. Winans so aptly proclaim… Hope springs eternal in those who believe, that’s why no matter what I’m facing I still believe. I believe in the good of all mankind, I believe behind the clouds the sun still shines, I believe there’s coming a brighter day, I believe that our children will lead the way… I believe! If you'd like to hear one of my favorite songs, I’ve included a link just for you. Go ahead, listen in. I believe that you’ll Be inspired.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5wdiDpGUvM

Let Go and Let Flow!

Out with the old, and in with the new… Well, it’s still January, so I’m taking the liberty of the continued use of New Year slogans! Feng Shui enthusiasts declare that clutter creates a state of confusion and interferes with the flow of good energy – Chi. It’s certainly not hard to understand how that happens. In America we have become so accustomed to accumulating things that we now buy bigger houses to accommodate all of the extra stuff that we really don’t need (that is if we’re brutally honest with ourselves). How can we need it if we’re storing it away? The use of off-site storage centers, pods and the like are widely used and are paid for with regularity and carefree ease. Have you unconsciously allowed your home to become a catch all? Why not begin this year with a mission? This is your mission if you choose to accept it… (yes, the mission impossible theme music is playing). If you find that you have things just lying around; things that you really don’t need, that are serving no purpose or things that you no longer enjoy looking at, begin the process of letting it go. So as not to be overwhelmed, take a few minutes each day to begin the purging process. If you can spare one hour a day, start there. You will begin to feel the difference in your home and in your soul.

I, along with some of my girlfriends decided late in 2007 that we would feng shui a few things. Our offices, family rooms, bedrooms etc. What began as a simple purge, declutter, organizing venture ended up as a maze of bagua map drawing and quadrant color coding. I’m not saying that you should go all Feng Shui, but getting organized and clearing away clutter really does make you feel better.

Check out Julie Morgenstern's book “Organizing From the Inside Out”. It’s filled with useful tips and ideas. She recommends that you start in the room that you spend the most time in and begin with the visible clutter for an instant lift.

Sanaa Lathan starred in a movie a few years ago entitled “Something New”. In it, her girlfriends convinced her to “Let Go and Let Flow” in search of love. I’m going to take another liberty and encourage you to do likewise. Let go of the clutter that has been weighing you down – purge, sort, file, organize and then let your creative juices flow as you make it pretty! Do it in measurable doses and don’t stop until you’ve completed your mission. It’s not impossible.

One of my clients shared a story with me recently about overhearing a receptionist at her doctor’s office tell a patient that had arrived that morning that she could not be seen as she didn’t have an appointment. Her name was not written in the appointment book so obviously she was mistaken. Fortunately, this woman had her appointment card (BAM!) to show as proof and they could not deny that the mistake was their own. How many of us can say that we are so organized that we can reach into our purses to find an appointment card given to us 6 weeks ago? Another lesson - another inspiration. Let’s let go and let flow! If it’s any consolation, I still have a little more organizing to do, so we’ll be doing it together.

Be Inspired.

An Inspired Life.

Happy New Year! Welcome to Interior Inspirations! I’m thrilled to be able to use this forum to share a little of my soul and style with you and I hope that you will be inspired in more ways than I could ever imagine. Let me begin this new year / new blog on that note. Everyone needs to be inspired from time to time. Typically at the start of a new year we outline our action plan for the next 365 days and tell ourselves that this year, we’ll stick to our resolve. This is true for so many of us and as is often the case, we get sidetracked and need to be inspired to get back to the plan with enthusiasm and determination.

I met a woman 25 years ago, who had given away most of her belongings, intent to live life a little less encumbered with “things”. She travelled lightly and as often as she wished. Only keeping a few select items of sentimental value, she downsized and set out to abide on her own terms. She travelled when she felt the urge and wherever she went, she stayed happily until she felt the need to pick up stakes and move again. How freeing it seemed to me at the time. When we met, I was much younger, unmarried and childless. I’d just gotten my first apartment and hadn’t yet burdened myself with things, but I distinctly remember feeling as though I wanted to be like her when I grew up. When I think about the decoration of spaces, particularly the art of redesign, I’m reminded of the beauty of living with the things that bring joy. The woman that I met all those years ago showed me some of the things that she kept, and I remember that when she shared them with me, also sharing a few of the stories that made them special to her, I was moved by the joy that those travelling companions brought to her life and could see that anywhere that she went would be home, because any place becomes home when it contains the things that evoke memories of loved ones and happy times.

As you get your new year started, wherever you live and for however long you plan to live there, do yourself a favor and surround yourself with the things that bring you joy and pleasure. I am passionate about creating spaces that speak to the soul. I chose my business name and tag line with as much careful consideration as I chose the names of my children. Interior Transformations – Creating Interiors that Reflect your Soul and Style! Your home is about you. It is your sanctuary, sacred space and refuge from the busy world. It should be a reflection of who you are and what you love. That woman whom I had just started to know all those years ago became a very dear friend of mine, a soulful mentor and confidante; my mother-sister-friend. She still inspires me. She’s living in Europe now, happy, free and on her own terms. I don’t know when she’ll make her way back to the US, but of this one thing I am sure; whenever she looks around at the place in which she now resides, she speaks these words that soothe her soul “There’s no place like home”.

Be Inspired!