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Red, White and Blue in Home Decor
Happy Independence Day! While red, white and blue wave in our flags outdoors today, how do you use these colors in your interiors? Here...

PLC
3 min read
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Green Geometry
Has the California drought turned your green garden brown? Has the recent rain been enough to revive your dry and dead patches? In either ca

PLC
4 min read
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Which White Works?
As we went down her written list of questions, we came to the subject of wall color. I suggested one that may not seem very creative. White.

PLC
3 min read
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Question: We’re shopping for a new dining table. How do we choose the shape? My husband wants ...
I always start with the shape of the room created by its furniture (other than the dining table). That is, an empty room may start out as a

PLC
3 min read
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Question: How can I make my ceiling seem higher?
Anything that makes your eye look up will help. For instance, place a can light on the floor, at the base of a potted plant, and shine it up

PLC
2 min read
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Question: Do you have any advice in choosing a ceiling fan?
Large fans move more air than small ones so it is more efficient to run a large fan, even on a low speed, than a small fan on a high speed.

PLC
2 min read
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Color Wheels and Paint Strips
Even the great masters were stumped by color choices. “Color is my day-long obsession,” said Claude Monet. The next time you’re fanning thro

PLC
3 min read
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Guidelines to Hiring General Contractors
The Napa Valley just witnessed the destructive side of Mother Nature. While some are at home, slowly decompressing from this experience, oth

PLC
5 min read
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What is Feng Shui and Does it Work?
Feng Shui, pronounced “Fung Shway”, is one of the Five Arts of Chinese Metaphysics and is influenced by Chinese astronomy. The practice, whi

PLC
4 min read
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Question: We have a two-story house with open stairs. Should we close them? What can we do with ...
the wasted space beneath them? Your open stairs lead me to a few open-ended questions. What is the style of your house? Is your staircase...

PLC
2 min read
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Carneros’s Donum Estate ... An Interplay of Wine, Art and Rejuvenation
A visit to the Donum Estate, tucked in the heart of Carneros, may be the healthiest of prescriptions for destressing and rejuvenation. At le

PLC
4 min read
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When Couple’s Styles Clash
It’s not often that couples tell me, “We have the same taste, the same ideas, and the same goals.” So, a few years ago, I created an exercis

PLC
2 min read
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Design, Draperies, and Math
Math was on overdrive recently while designing draperies. I’ll describe the situation but don’t worry about following it precisely. The idea

PLC
3 min read
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Question: We’re renting a house while deciding whether to rebuild our home or live elsewhere in ...
the future. We lost it in the Napa fires. In the meantime, we’re renting furniture which is expensive to do (and uncomfortable). Can you...

PLC
2 min read
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Question: The inside of my house does not get much sunlight and it’s difficult to grow plants ...
It’s true that many artificial plants look fake. Even the silk ones can look like plastic or paper. But there are companies whose potted pla

PLC
2 min read
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Allure of Craquelure ... The Inspiration for a New Accessory
There is an age-old phenomenon, a fine pattern of dense cracking called “craquelure”, that sometimes occurs on the surface of oil paintings

PLC
3 min read
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Eclectic Style from Different Continents and a Pop of Orange
An eclectic style is hard to describe and even harder to create. It’s a careful mix of treasures, travels and memories reflected in furnishi

PLC
4 min read
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Question: I have a rug under my dining table and am looking for another for my family room...
These rooms are actually one big room. I know the rugs should not match, but what do I look for so that the two coordinate? Also, are...

PLC
3 min read
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Design Like Einstein
(Originally published in the Napa Valley Register) Did you happen to catch the recent 10-part series, “Genius”, on the National...

PLC
3 min read
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C2 Paint ... Artisan Pigments, Exclusive Technology, and Eco-Friendly
The most durable paint has historically been oil-based. However, it is increasingly difficult to find, especially in California due to its r

PLC
5 min read
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