We spend a lot of time thinking about pretty colors, fabrics, floor plans and budgets and all the other fun stuff that goes into designing or redecorating our homes. But, how often do we think about our body type? Huh? No, I am not talking about which colors will make us look slimmer or taller. … Read more
Hey there! I’ve been trying to get in three blog posts a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and a weekend post – and I’ve been doing pretty well – until today! I did want to do a quick post on a talk I went to today at The Boston Design Center. The talk was on the … Read more
It’s been ten years since the sounds of ABBA have wafted out of the Greek island of Kalokairi and onto the big screen – and here we go again! I blogged about the original Mamma Mia ten years ago, but with one thing and another, the blog post went missing. So, I figured I’d do a … Read more
The Secret Garden One of my very favorite books from childhood is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgeson Burnett. My fourth grade teacher Mrs. Van read it to us in class and I was just hooked – as have many a little girl since it was first published over 100 years ago. In addition to … Read more
Versailles: A Private Invitation with Text by Guillaume Picon and Photos by Francis Hammond The new book from Flammarion called VERSAILLES: A Private Invitation by Guillaume Picon with photos by Francis Hammond is a gorgeous, beautiful and wonderful tome all about Versailles. I really can’t come up with enough adjectives. It’s spectacular. And huge It’s … Read more
If you’re asking how high drapery panels should be hung – you are not alone! I wrote about how wide your drapery panels should be here, and now I discuss height. Using some of the images I used on widths, I can also show the difference the height of the panels make. As you can … Read more
It’s no surprise that most designers really hate sets, or suites, of matching furniture. Whether it’s part of a living room, dining room or even bedroom – having things all matchy-matchy is just plain boring. And honestly? It’s totally unnecessary! It doesn’t save money to buy everything altogether in all the same fabric or wood … Read more
I came across a few really great DIY Paint projects that I thought would be fun to share. I’ve found over the years that doing design work for others or writing about here on ::Surroundings:: it has sapped my energy for rolling up my own sleeves and getting my hands dirty. So, I’m going to … Read more