Linda Merrill
The 2023 Newburyport PTO Kitchen & Tasting was last week and as always a great way to spend a nice Saturday! This year there were 10 homes on the tour. I didn’t make it to all the houses as I had an unfortunate altercation with a berm on the side of a road. I didn’t fall … Read more
I’m thrilled to share the reveal of my Colorful Modern Coastal home project in The Pinehills in Plymouth, MA! My clients are active retirees new the area and wanted a fresh and clean style that is modern and colorful with a touch of glam. I think we achieved the objective! I met with them … Read more
I want to share a new sofa reupholstery project but first: the other day I attended a talk with decorator Alex Papachristidis and writer Mitch Owens (writer, editor Architectural Digest, Elle Decor and more) about their collaboration on THE ELEGANT LIFE Rooms that Welcome and Inspire, © 2023 Rizzoli, a walk through some of Alex’s … Read more
It’s spring and with the season comes a spate of new designer collabs (collaborations for us adults) from some one of my favorite designers and some new to me. Designer Collab: Mark D. Sikes x Anthropologie The king of all things blue, white and classic – Mark D. Sikes – has released a new designer collab … Read more
Are you looking to refresh your home for Spring 2023? Here are some tips I find make it quick and easy! It’s still frigid here in New England and I don’t envy those who attended the Red Sox Home Opener this week at all! But I sure am feeling springy nonetheless. Declutter I know, … Read more
Interior design and decorating is about problem solving and it’s all about getting the details just right. Some details are relatively small and others are large, but they all play a part in achieving the best look and/or functionality for the budget. Here I am talking about the importance of pattern matching in window treatments … Read more
When someone is asking for referrals for a service or goods, they invariably say they are looking for something or someone “reasonable”. But, what is reasonable? And, is this the question that we should be asking? This happens all the time in person to person conversations – the old-fashioned “over the backyard fence” type thing … Read more
So, a few hours of HGTV viewing, or a perusal of the real estate section, shows that the open floor plan is really hot. Scorching. And, who am I to tell people what they should want? It sounds lovely – the whole family altogether, kids doing homework and craft projects at the counter, Mom or … Read more
“Accessories, art, plants and flowers bring “life” to any room. Always keep a little in the budget reserved for these finishing touches. Otherwise, even a space with the most beautiful furnishings will look like a showroom, not a living room.” ~ Linda Merrill Last week, interior designer Vivian Benjamin kindly posted my quote on the … Read more
Hello ! I wanted to share my final photoshoot for the Georgian Dollhouse that I designed and built out last Fall. I showed off its Christmas decorations here but hadn’t quite finished the interiors. And now I have! As a bit of a recap – this is a 1:24 scale dollhouse, which is half the … Read more
I was perusing Instagram and came across this stair rug runner installation above on the Annie Selke page. And my immediate response was eye-twitching and a verbal – oh no! This is the Kali Jute rug – which is very pretty as a standard rug, but to my eyes, it does not work as … Read more
Symmetry vs. asymmetry – is it an either or? Symmetry and asymmetry are two fundamental principles of design used to create balance and visual interest in a space. The reality is, we need both when creating a visually appealing environment. Too much symmetry can result in a boring room and too much asymmetry can result … Read more
I went up to the sell out Newburyport Holiday House Tour last weekend and wanted to share some of the photos I took. Due to a time crunch, I only made it to four houses and one wasn’t allowing photos (sadly, it was beautiful!). And as it happened, I’d been in two of the … Read more
One of my favorite annual events is this coming weekend – the Newburyport Holiday House Tour 2022 on Saturday December 10 from 10-4. I wasn’t able to make it last year. In 2020 they turned the tour into an outdoor event which was hugely creative and successful. I believe it was outdoors last year as … Read more
Pantone announced their Color Trends 2023 color of the year this week. Much to the applause of many – it’s a bright, beautiful color called Viva Magenta. Per their announcement video, they said: We’re living in “unconventional times” with all the changes that Covid brought. People are no longer satisfied with the “status quo” of … Read more
Have you ever wanted to do something but kept putting it off? Maybe due to lack of time, lack of funds – whatever it is. For me, despite my forays into many different craft projects, the one I never did, but secretly wanted to, was to build a dollhouse. Well, to be more specific, to … Read more