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Hygge, Lagom and Wabi Sabi
Luckily for us in the Napa Valley, any and all colors work. In fact, any and all parts of these philosophies can bring health and harmony to

PLC
3 min read
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Choosing a Style and Sticking to it
Ask Napa resident, Holly Quate, what her favorite design style is and she’ll answer, “Art Deco or Mid-century Modern or maybe Craftsman.” As

PLC
4 min read
28 views
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Patti's 10 Favorites Beyond Design
"Getting to Know Your Designer" ... by Joan McDonald, An interview by Aspired Design Magazine ADM: Favorite book? PLC: The Count of Monte...

PLC
1 min read
16 views
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Looking at a Space with a Fresh Eye
There’s a Stephen Sondheim song titled, “A funny thing happened on the way to the forum.” That’s how I felt on my way out the door after mee

PLC
2 min read
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How Architecture Inspired a Color Palette
Colors aside, when I pulled up to the front of the building, I was immediately struck by one significant feature — its portico. It led to th

PLC
4 min read
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When to Create an Accent Wall
When is the best time to create an accent wall? While the idea is still brewing in a designer’s or architect’s imagination and in time to be

PLC
3 min read
36 views
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Rock to the Rescue: The Ultimate in Low Maintenance, Water-Wise Landscaping
Landscape architects will agree that there’s more to a well-designed, well-executed gardenscape than meets the eye. As with any design, the

PLC
4 min read
741 views
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Glassybaby: A One-of-a-Kindness Company
What do you get when you combine a 4,000-year-old craft with optimism, comfort, persistence, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a big heart? Gla

PLC
4 min read
113 views
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Rainbow Fresh
The fabric designers who produced the Rainbow Collection must have been on creative overdrive because their color combinations were luscious

PLC
3 min read
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Demystifying the San Francisco Design Center
Have you ever browsed through home decor magazines and wondered where to find such beautiful furnishings? You know you haven’t seen them in

PLC
3 min read
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The Golden Ratio
But how do these Golden formulas address our universal consensus of pleasing proportions? Back to nature’s spirals. It turns out that they a

PLC
3 min read
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Taupe - How this Color Kept me on my Toes
What color does your mind’s eye see when you think of “taupe”? A version of beige? Khaki? Gray? Pink? You’d all be correct. But what is tau

PLC
3 min read
124 views
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The Surprising Power of the Kitchen
No doubt, the kitchen is the heart of the home and the place where a lifetime of memories are made. I have a special story to tell that make

PLC
2 min read
20 views
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Question: As a designer, where do you find your inspiration? Even if you use Houzz or ...
I don’t want to be influenced or swayed by another designer’s work. I want my ideas to be fresh, original, and mine. I also don’t wait for a

PLC
2 min read
6 views
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A Nod to Water-Wise Landscaping ... An Old Garden is Redesigned with Drought -Resistant Plants
I drew scaled site plans and then dug into my box of color pencils. When possible, I kept current plants in place and filled in with more o

PLC
4 min read
28 views
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Client Asks for a Joyful Experience
When clients, Jeff and Cathy, asked me to help them remodel their kitchen, I did what I always do. I asked them to write a list of their goa

PLC
4 min read
16 views
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The story behind Pantone's “Color of the Year”
Pantone is known for The Pantone Color Matching System which standardizes color reproduction. This standardization allows different manufact

PLC
4 min read
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Moonlit Water-Wise Garden
There are enough species of flowers, shrubs and trees to accommodate different styles of moonlit gardens – from classic, romantic and fragra

PLC
3 min read
11 views
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Dada - A Soiree of Mayhem
Happy 100th Birthday, Dada. Love it or hate it, I’m not sure “happy” is the right word to describe Dada under any circumstances. Nevertheles

PLC
4 min read
67 views
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Kitchen Countertop on the 6th Fairway
I could see the fear in my client’s eyes. Display after display begged him to make a decision. Phil wanted to be on the golf course, next to

PLC
2 min read
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