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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...

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

Math was on overdrive recently while designing draperies. I’ll describe the situation but don’t worry about following it precisely. The idea

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...

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

There is an age-old phenomenon, a fine pattern of dense cracking called “craquelure”, that sometimes occurs on the surface of oil paintings

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

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...

(Originally published in the Napa Valley Register) Did you happen to catch the recent 10-part series, “Genius”, on the National...

The most durable paint has historically been oil-based. However, it is increasingly difficult to find, especially in California due to its r

We belong to an HOA so much of the design is predetermined. But the interior style is completely up to us. Our last style was very mixed...

At the end of a recent meeting with a client, I said, “I’m going to write about this”. Not only had Coco Chanel’s words come to mind (which

now my wife is looking at quartz. There are so many quartz options and now we are confused. Do you recommend granite or quartz and could...

Let’s start with the basics. The strongest and most durable part of a cow hide is just below the hair. Leather made from this area is called

Let’s say your house has 10 rooms on a single floor and that you have three distinct paint colors in mind (not including trim and door color

room, family room and staircase at the same time. There are a lot of angles. My favorite color is purple but of course that won't work....

some things to update. I’ll be keeping a few of my current things but I need enough new ones that would allow me to create a new style. I...

Asian style and don’t want to change. Our problem is the garden especially the front yard. We have about 30 rose bushes, a large climbing...

One of the first decisions to make is whether you want overlay or inset cabinetry. Overlay means that the door and drawer fronts rest on the

countertops, and tile. My husband and I know what we like and usually agree. But we don’t know if it is good design and never thought...