Space

At this point, you are probably wondering exactly where I am going with this and what on earth fierce conversations have to do with interior design. What first struck me was how similar the principles of fierce conversations are to the principles of interior design - balance, emphasis, rhythm, proportion and scale, harmony and unity, but what really piqued my interest was the correlation between silence in a conversation and space, empty space, uncluttered space, is in an interior.

We Americans feel the need to stuff our homes with more and more things and fill our conversations with words and small talk. As Susan Scott notes in Fierce Conversations "It is a phenomenon of our times that, for many people, silence is almost unendurable. Silence makes us nervous. So do innovation, change and genius." In the movie, Proof, Jake Gyllenhaals character, Hal, wrote a song for his band entitled "i". It is not a song at all but silence. No lyrics, no melody - just silence. When his band plays "i" at the funeral for his teacher, Robert, everyone sits quietly except Roberts daughter, Claire who, unable to endure the silence, nervously fills the empty space with her laughter.

Embrace space in your interiors with these rules of thumb:

1.Avoid placing furniture around the perimeter of the room. This "ballroom" feel is not conducive to interaction and conversation.
2.Allow a minimum of 24" to 36" between furniture for traffic flow.
3.Avoid placing the sofa on the longest wall; this reinforces a bowling alley type of feel to a room. Try floating the sofa into the room to create visual impact.
4.Mount window treatments 8" to 11" above the window frame depending on the height of your ceiling. This balances the entire treatment on the wall and visually makes the room seem larger.
5.Leave a place for the eye to rest. Don't be afraid to leave some spaces unadorned. Less can be more!

"Memorable conversations include breathing space -or just space, of any kind. My motto is: Don't just rearrange the furniture. Toss it out. Become a minimalist."
- Susan Scott

Fierce Conversations

THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF FIERCE CONVERSATIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Principle 1: Master the courage to interrogate reality.
We are all changing all the time. Not only do we neglect to share this with others, we are skilled at masking it even to ourselves.

Principle 2: Come out from behind yourself into the conversation and make it real.
While many fear "real," it is the unreal conversation that should scare us to death. You will accomplish your goals in large part by making every conversation you have as real as possible.

Principle 3: Be here, prepared to be nowhere else.
Speak and listen as if this is the most important conversation you will every have with this person. It could be. Participate as if it matters. It does.

Principle 4: Tackle your toughest challenge today.
Burnout doesn't occur because we're solving problems; it occurs because we've been trying to solve the same problem over and over. Travel light, agenda-free.

Principle 5: Obey your instincts.
Your radar screen works perfectly. It's the operator who is in question. What we label as illusion is the scent of something real coming close.

Principle 6: Take responsibility for your emotional wake.
The conversation is not about the relationship; the conversation is the relationship. Learning to deliver the message without the load allows you to speak with clarity, conviction, and compassion.

Principle 7: Let silence do the heavy lifting.
Memorable conversations include breathing space. Slow down the conversation, so that insight can occur in the space between words and you can discover what the conversation really wants and needs to be about.

Excerpted from Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

Tips for Hanging Art

The art of hanging art came up at an appointment this week as one of my clients, frustrated by where her husband had hung their artwork (high), asked me where I thought the paintings should have been hung. Here are the tips I gave them:

• Artwork should be hung so that the center point of the picture or the grouping is at eye level for the average person.


• With the above in mind, it should also be hung from eye level of where the art is most often enjoyed. Higher if you view the art standing as in a gallery and lower if usually seated as in a dining room.


• When hanging a group of pictures, treat them as one unit. Test the arrangement by laying them out on the floor or make paper templates and tape the paper on the wall to determine where the hangers should be installed.


• Relate the art to the wall size. Choose smaller pictures for narrow walls and larger pictures for big spaces. Keep in mind that small pictures can be hung vertically over each other to fill a long narrow space and two pictures can be hung horizontally to fill a large one.


• Relate art to the size of the furniture. Generally, a piece of art should not be wider than the table width nor should it be heavier in feeling than the piece below it.
  

To learn how your artwork can enhance your life and goals call me today to schedule a feng shui consultation.

State of the Arts

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS WITH A STATE OF THE ARTS LICENSE PLATE!


Did you know that for every State of the Arts specialty license plate sold in Sarasota County, $20 is returned to the Sarasota County Arts Council, which can be used to fund a variety of community-based cultural programs? Specifically, the Arts Council uses license plate money to fund its Opportunity Grant program, designed to assist cultural organizations throughout Sarasota County with project grants.
However, this year's sales of State of the Arts license plates are running well behind last year. As of the end of May, only 783 of these plates have been sold in Sarasota County (183 new issues and 600 renewals), which is approximately 35 percent fewer than this time last year. Sarasota County is running significantly behind Broward County (1,280), Palm Beach County (1,050), Pinellas County (1,050), and slightly behind Miami-Dade County (825).
WE WANT TO BE NUMBER ONE! We are beginning a campaign to encourage our citizens to purchase plates in support of our arts and cultural community. This is an issue of advocacy as well as civic pride in our community's cultural vitality. If we can become the county with the greatest number of State of the Arts plates sold, it will speak to the importance of arts and culture to our community, as well as generate more revenue that can be used to benefit our cultural organizations.
So, stop by your tag office today and show your support for the arts! In Sarasota, there are two locations: 101 S. Washington Blvd., First Floor; 861-8300; and 601 S. Pompano Ave; 361-6217. In Venice: 1212 Jacaranda Boulevard; 483-5995.

SPREAD THE WORD!

Trends from the Trenches

As a decorator and design consultant it is part of my job to study the trends and keep abreast of what is new in custom home furnishings and I love that part of my work because it allows me to indulge in one of my favorite pastimes - purusing design blogs and magazines.

A trend that I am thrilled is making a comeback is the use of wallcovering in interior decor. For years faux finishes have cornered the market on what to do with a naked wall but watch out my faux friends, the trend now is to use wallcovering in new and innovative ways.

Check out the July issue of Blueprint Magazine for these unique wallpaper applications and a handy guide for do-it-yourselfers:

Use the lines of a graphic wallpaper to create a silhoutte that serves as a virtual headboard.
Cover a wall in a grid pattern as a background and then apply a lush overscaled floral or tropical pattern as a mural.
Cut out a motif from a piece of wallpaper to make a backing plate for wall sconces or chandeliers.
Liven up a flat panel door with wallpaper insets.
To shop for wallpaper visit these vendors:
Thibaut
Blue Mountain
York
Seabrook
Jaima Brown

Birthday Dinner Menu

I love to cook and when my sister arrived last week for my birthday I treated her to a wonderful home cooked dinner comprised of rack of lamb, pan roasted asparagus and creamy mushroom risotto. I wish I could have shared the dinner with all of my readers but, alas, I couldn't fit you all in my house. Here are the recipes instead...

For Lamb: Marinate rack of lamb overnight in olive oil, garlic and fresh rosemary. Grill approximately 5 minutes per side. Slice between the bone into individual chops. Tip: I purchase the pre-packaged racks of lamb at Sams.

For the asparagus: Wash and trim the asparagus. Lightly toss with olive oil, garlic and sea salt. Roast in a heavy skillet until cooked but slightly crisp approximately 10 minutes.

Mushroom Risotto - makes about 4 first course or side dish servings
The key to this delicious, creamy risotto is to add the hot broth one cup at a time and stirring while simmering until the liquid is absorbed.

2 1/2 C low-salt chicken broth
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 C finely chopped onions
6 oz. crimini mushrooms, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 T fresh minced thyme
1/2 T fresh minced marjoram
3/4 C arborio rice
1/4 C dry white wine
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
white truffle oil

Bring broth to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Cover broth and keep warm over very low heat.

Melt butter with oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; saute until tender a, about 10 minutes. Add crimini mushrooms; saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and both herbs; saute 4 minutes. Add rice; stir 2 minutes. Ad wine; cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup of hot broth; simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Continue to cook until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, adding more broth by cupfuls and stirring often, about 30 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Serve and drizzle individual portions with white truffle oil.

Bon Appetite!!

Summertime

Ahhh...summertime! It's my favorite season! I love the way everything is a little slower, lazier. I love being able to go out to eat without battling the crowds. I love the afternoon and evening thunderstorms. I love floating in the Gulf. I love listening to the cicadas at night. I even love the humidity! Most of all I love all four holidays of summer. Four holidays? Yes, not only do we celebrate Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day, we also celebrate MY BIRTHDAY!!! June 27th, in fact, just in case you want to send me a birthday card :-).
Another reason to love summer is the fabulous sale Hunter Douglas is offering and installing energy efficient blinds is the way to make you love your electric bill this summer too!

Relationship Decorating

The relationship between an interior decorator and client is a very human one and while not always defined as "friendships" they are often intense and personal. Like a friendship, though, a good working relationship between decorator and client involves a commitment to respect, communication and understanding.

When working with your decorator keep these tips in mind:

You absolutely should expect your decorator to have

• The ability to listen.
• The ability to make the right product selections for your project.
• Creative ideas and solutions for your project.
• The willingness to work within your budget.
• Suggestions as how to improve a home's function.
• The attitude that this is your home and should reflect your style and personality, not the decorators.

But it is a two way street - your decorator expects you

• To Know and communicate how much money you have allocated for the project.
• To be able to articulate your style and preferences even if it is visually through magazines or books.
• To be willing to listen with an open mind.
• To have a realistic time frame
• To have thought about the function and desired mood of your space.
• To provide honest feedback.

And like a good friendship, if you haven't worked together in a few years you should be able to pick up right where you left off without missing a beat!

The Personalization Trend

A few weeks ago I wrote about the product personalization trend I had seen at The International Window Coverings Expo in Washington, DC. Seems like I was spot on with that one - Just look at the number of consumer products that offer personalization: How about your Mother's picture on your Kleenex box? Yup...she'll be there reminding you to blow your nose. For Father's Day give your Dad his favorite candy in his favorite colors with a cute message from you. I think I will really look forward to the gym if I wear personalized Nike's in MY colors and postage for first class mail is alot easier to swallow if your stamps have your picture on them. Personally (no pun intended) I like the whole monogramming craze and plan to monogram several other furnishings in my home besides my towels.

PS: I WANT THESE SHOES!

more on blogging

It is a long holiday weekend and despite the beautiful weather I have spent some time indulging in one of my favorite activities - purusing design blogs. Here are some of my newest favorites:

http://www.decor8.blogspot.com/, http://www.hueconsulting.blogspot.com/ http://www.desiretoinspire.blogspot.com/.

Check these out and see just how addictive design blogs are - you could get lost for days!

Trends from IWCE

Custom home furnishings are just that - custom - and one of a kind but the trend now is to take customization even further and make your interiors completely personal down to your dishware. A new vendor in DC was DePersico Custom Design Studio. This company is a group of graphic artists that produce custom designs that can be used on anything from fabric to walls to even your china. Imagine - your personal logo on your dinner plates. Love a fabric pattern but hate the colorways it is available in? Adaptive Textiles can not only design a pattern they can also change an exisiting one into different colorways or scale. How about seeing your favorite quotation first thing in the morning? Wall Words creates custom graphics and words you can place anywhere in your home. Wow - talk about motivation!

International Window Coverings Expo

I am just back from a whirlwind trip to Washington, DC for the International Window Coverings Expo. I look forward to this event every year - for design inspiration, vendor resources and industry networking. This year I also had the opportunity to spend some time with my family as I grew up in nearby Bethesda, MD and my son lives and works in DC. I didn't see a Cherry Blossom, though, despite the fact that it was Cherry Blossom Weekend, because the weather was too severe for the delicate flowers.

The highlight of my trip was sitting next to New York Interior Designer, Jamie Drake, at lunch prior to the presentation of his book - New American Glamour. It turns out that we have some New York friends in common!!

His talk was inspiring and the interior photos in his presentation stunning. His unique mix of luster, texture, color and "the curve" define his style.

Next time...design trends from the floor of the vendor trade show.

Spring has sprung!!

Ahhh...the windows are open and the smell of hibiscus waft through the house. Even in southwest Florida, where most days of the year are balmy and breezy, spring is eagerly awaited. I always look forward to spring, not only for the cool nights and cloudless days, but for the magic in the rebirth of our beautiful world. It is no wonder, then, that springtime is traditionally a time for cleaning out our environments and lightening the look of our homes.

Here are some tips to get you started on your spring cleaning journey:

1. Clean out the clutter. Clutter is the #1 enemy in feng shui and a known energy drainer in the western world. Cleaning out your clutter will help you feel freer and lighter. Clearing the clutter is not about organizing - it's about getting rid of STUFF. The easiest way to contend with clutter is to follow this rule: for every new thing coming into the house, 3 things must go. Sell your clothing at a consignment shop and donate your household items to Habitat for Humanity.
2. Repair what is broken. Gather up the small appliances that don't work, the skirt with the falling hem and the stained towels. Fix them, wash them, or throw them out.
3. Rearrange for change. Move your furniture, switch out your artwork, arrange your accessories in a new way, put things in different locations. This forces your brain to learn different pathways and your body to experience new traffic patterns. Your whole perspective will suddenly be fresh and new.
4. Clean your house yourself - yes, yourself!! Even if you normally contract with a cleaning service take the time to actually clean your space yourself. Not only is this humbling, it is also the best way I know of bonding with your environment. Think about it this way - who truly cares about your home more than you do?

Trendblogging

What do blogging and trends have in common? Blogging is a trend and the best place to trendspot is on a blog.

Not so long ago the only place to spot trends were on the streets - specifically New York and London. But as we all know, the internet has made the world smaller. Now trendspotting is just a click away. My favorite sites for catching up on current culture are blogs which are online journals that provide commentary or news on a particular subject.

My favorite design trend blogs are http://designsponge.blogspot.com
http://designintelligence.blogspot.com.


Check them out and spot a trend today.