October, 2009 - Browsing by month

the image of the evening

Some believe it’s candles, candles, candles!

According to Libby Langdon, “The rule is, the more you use the better. Halloween is really about the dark and candles help set the mood,” said Ms. Langdon, author of “Libby Langdon’s Small Space Solutions: Secrets for Making Any Room Look Elegant and Feel Spacious on Any Budget.”

Libby says, “arrange candles of different heights and widths, making use of candelabras, old wine bottles and cake plates to lift them off the table. Add in a few pumpkins and gourds, lower the lights and you’re ready to greet revelers”.

My tip? Cut out an area large enough for a votive candle at the top of your favorite baking apple. Use the apples for your table decoration for Halloween and then retire the votives and bake a favorite apple recipe with the apples. Talk about recycling!

Wishing you had a friend in the design business right now? We’re here to help! Call Faith @ 206.437.8000

Tags: budget Halloween decorations, expert Seattle interior designer, halloween party decorations
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As an expert Seattle interior designer I work with closet systems and closet organization with my clients. And last weekend I tackled my own closet and sorted out my summer clothes. Most went to a storage box outside my closet and some were donated. Now my dilemma is organizing my winter clothes for the next six months or so. I realized I need to consider this more systematically.

California Closets

I get frustrated with stacks of sweaters and tops so I use shelf dividers which are a perfect solution for me. I like these clear dividers to organize sweaters, work out clothes and such.

Are you ready to design a new closet?

“You can make smarter use of your closet space without spending a hefty sum by contacting California Closets. One of our Design Consultants will meet you for a complimentary in-home consultation, working around both your budget and your storage solution needs.”

Wishing you had a friend in the design business right now? We’re here to help, and fast. Let’s do this!Call Faith Sheridan today and get started. 206.437.8000

Tags: build a custom closet, California Closets, closet ideas, closet organization, expert Seattle interior designer
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Today this expert Seattle interior designer is getting a Portland expert interior designer ready to blog. Her name is Teri Peck.;-)

Teri Peck, Atelier Design Group, specializes in full service interior design: residential, commercial, kitchen and bathroom design; new home construction and remodeling; paint consultation; bedding, lighting and home décor accessories.

Peck majored in textiles at Oregon State University and soon after moved to New York to predict color trends for the U.S. market. Splitting time between Italy, France, SE Asia and South America, Peck enhanced her interest in architecture and art history.

“My travel has infused my core about architectural details and how disparate objects can blend together,” says Peck. “Portuguese, Asian, English and French styles stand the test of time and can be combined in interesting ways to give the room that element of surprise.”

Look forward to enjoying insights from Teri soon as she readies the launch of her blog.

Craving one simple, beautiful space? Faith Sheridan Interior Design Group is here to help, and fast.

Tags: design blog in Seattle, expert Seattle interior designer, Interior design blog
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The dark is upon us… at least from the window of this expert Seattle interior design. This translates to increased electrical use and utility savings. I would like to share these tips from Lutron about the benefits of dimming.

• Dim a light to 50% and you’ll cut the electricity used by about 40%.
• Lighting accounts for nearly 20% of the average home’s electricity bill, so dimming makes an impact.

photo courtesy sparksdirect.com

Click here to see ten energy saving solutions from Lutron.

Installing one Lutron dimmer in every home in the U.S. in place of a standard light switch would:

• Save $230 million in electricity per year

• Reduce CO2 by 4.3 billion pounds per year

• Equal taking 370,000 cars off the road

Dimming your lights 25% saves 20% in energy. And, the more you dim, the more you save. A 1,500-hour incandescent bulb will last nearly tenyears when dimmed 33% and used 3 hours per day. That’s longer than the average American keeps a home.

Wishing you had a friend in the design business right now? We’re here to help, and fast.

Tags: dim the lights, expert Seattle interior designer, Lutron, reduce utilities
Posted in Green Design | 4 Comments »

“I hate to actually say this, but gray is the new black,”says Gale Steves. “It’s a softer color seen in fashion, and nature, and I’m seeing it everywhere: fabrics, felts, grey wools, even in tile. It takes a floor or a wall to a very neutral place.”

At our Fall Into Color event we asked our guests to vote for their favorite 2010 Benjamin Moore colors from the Northwest Color Palette. Guess what color was first? Fairview Taupe, HC-85.

In the meantime, it might sound odd to refer to gray as fresh, “but we’ve gone through a period where we’ve had a lot of warm beige—the whole Tuscany thing—and so gray represents a kind of difference,” Leatrice Eiseman of Bainbridge, WA says “There can be warm grays, but they are largely cooler, and so they appear newer, fresher,if you will. Gray also has a kind of a Zen feeling, and while the whole relaxation phenomenon has been around for several years, our lives and how we live are still very complicated. There are people who are still thinking in terms of having quiet, down time when they are home, and gray speaks to people in that way. It’s unobtrusive, so it has kind of a calming effect.”

The runner-up color is AF-650, Caponata which can be considered aubergine or purple.

According to Jane Matteson, “The hot accent color for Fall is purple in all of its permutations, amethysts, magentas, berries. And, the other color that plays up against that beautifully is citron, which companions so well with orange”. Says Eiseman, “It’s astonishing how long orange has had its run, along with some of the yellow greens. Right now we’re seeing the ‘citron-y’ yellow greens continuing for 2010.

I think we have some ‘color experts’ in Seattle!

Wishing you had a friend in the design business right now? We’re here to help, and fast.

Tags: Benjamin Moore, expert Seattle interior designer, Leatrice Eiseman, neutral gray color palette
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