The Decorating Voice

Shelf Life.....What's On Your Bookshelf?

One of the things I love about my busines of coaching and mentoring others to grow a decorating related business is that my former students share their regular newsletters with me.  Here is one I received today from the talented Ava Lewandowski from Clemmons, North Carolina. Not too long ago we had a mouse in our house.  After he was caught (and he died a happy mouse...full of Ghirardelli's Chocolate Chips), I did a thorough cleaning of the pantry.  Much to my surprise, there were several food items with an expired shelf -life.  This told me that I need to be more frugal and check the dates more often as not to waste food.  Placing items back on the shelves, I was reminded that decor has a shelf-life too and needs a thorough cleaning, redecorating or redesign occasionally. Most people redecorate after 7 years and if not 7, then definitely after 10 years.  To keep your decor from looking dated, periodically step back, freshen up and make some changes.  There are little things that you can do without totally redecorating.  One of those is redesigning your bookshelves. In the August newsletter (Books, Books, And More Books)  books came down off the shelves and were used as accessories in the home.  So how do you decorate those bookshelves?  I find decorating bookshelves to be one of my biggest challenges when doing an Interior Redesign. There is nothing wrong with using rows of books as you would find in a library but adding a few accessories will add interest.  Everything from collectibles, personal treasures, art, framed photos, decorative boxes, pottery and baskets; even books, can be displayed.  All of these are great additions... the challenge is...placing them on the shelves so that the finished look isn't cluttered and is visually appealing.

Decorating Inspiration from Winners

Labor Day...the official end of summer has arrived. Time to head back indoors and begin the "nesting" process that autumn brings. Your clients will soon be calling, eager for your talent and expertise.  Here is some inspiration for you from the recent winners of...

The SDP Annual Design Contest

Get Inspired and Get Busy!

View the Winners and 5

Semi-Finalists in each Category

Congratulations to all of our Winners!

To see each of the Semi-Finalists photos in each category, click on

MyPublisher for a look at the book.

Each of the Winner's Before & After photos are available to view on TheSDP.com's  Photo Gallery page

Decorate It: 

Winner, Terry Grahl, Terry's Enchanted Cottage

Semi-Finalists:
Kim Ausbury, Staged & Styled, Stow, OH
Jill Kearney, Beautiful Healthy Homes, Lehigh Valley, PA
Kathy Kallaus, Dreamy Retreats, Jacksonville, FL (2 entries in semi-finals)

Color It

Winner-

Leslye Cushing,

Creative Room Makeovers

Semi-Finalists:
Heather Klein, Emmy & Me Interiors, Naperville, IL
Paula Henry, Simply Put Interiors, Reisterstown, MD(2 entries in semi-finals)
Marleen Prater, Remixed Rooms, Canton, MI

Accessorize It

Winner-Terry Grahl, Terry's Enchanged Cottage

Semi-Finalists:
Angela Todd, Angela Todd Designs, Beaverton, OR
Beth Batke, Final Touches Redesign, Gahanna, OH (2 entries in semi-finals)
Kim Ausbury, Staged & Styled, Stow, OH

Interior Redesign It

Winner-

Paula Henry, Simply Put Interiors

Semi-Finalists:
Kathy Cortner, KRC Interior Transformations, Cherry Hill, NJ
Marleen Prater, Remixed Rooms, Canton, MI
Erica Cooper, Your Style redesigned, Elk River, MN
Jennifer Bush, Poppy Lane Designs, Westland, MI

Stage It

Winner-

Annie Doherty, Stagehouse

Semi-Finalists:
Angela Todd, Angela Todd Designs, Beaverton, OR
Jill Duffey Kearney, Beautiful Healthy Homes, Lehigh Valley, PA
Kim Ausbury, Staged & Styled, Stow, OH
Paula Henry, Simply Put Interiors, Reisterstown, MD


   The SDP Trainers Division

                      only 3 Semi-Finalist each

Interior Redesign

  Winner-

Debbie Correale

Redesign Right, West Chester, PA

Semi-Finalists:
Bobi McGinnis, One Day Decorating Florida, Jacksonville, FL
Carie Baumann, Redesigning Interiors, Tucson, AZ

Decorate It

Winner-

Sandra Racz,

Signature Redesign, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Semi-Finalists:
Sandra Racz, Signature Redesign, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL (2 entries in semi-finals)
Debbie Correale, Redesign Right, West Chester, PA

Home Staging

Winner-

Carie Baumann,

Redesigning Interiors, Tucson, AZ

Semi-Finalists:
Denise Montgomery, Mais Oui! Redesign, Greenville, NC
Debbie Correale, Redesign Right, West Chester, PA

Color It

Winner-

Sandra Racz,

Signature Redesign, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Semi-Finalists:

Denise Montgomery, Mais Oui! Redesign, Greenville, NC
Carie Baumann, Redesigning Interiors, Tucson, AZ

Accessorize It

Winner-

Sandra Racz

Signature Redesign, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

Semi-Finalists:

Bobi McGinnis, One Day Decorating Florida, Jacksonville, FL
Judy Pelinski, Staging and Redesign Academy, Lake in the Hills, IL

Decorating Lesson-Beautiful Room 101

Wow, I love what I do! Thirty years of creating beautiful homes and teaching others to do the same, never gets boring for me.  I walk into a room and my hands start to itch with eagerness to honor the room and help it realize its true potential. Many of my clients have been around so long, I am beginning to work with the third generation. What an honor to be passed on from Grandma to Mom, to the children.

This last month I have had the pleasure of making selections for a dorm room for the daughters of an old client. The fun thing was while we worked as a team on this project, Mom was inspired to give her own home a new look. "Why,' she said, "should my daughters be the only ones who get a new space?" But before we got started with her new look in her home, she wanted to play student herself.  Time for a lesson in Decorating 101.

Interior Decorating with mirrors over mantels

Wow! Can you tell I am new at blogging?  I forgot to submit my name!

Beth Batke

Interior Decorating with mirrors over mantels

I was interested in Marlene's piece about what a mirror reflects.  The mantel looked so much better in her "after" photo!

Recently I was working in a beautiful new home with large rooms and high ceilings.  My client had placed a large round mirror above the fireplace and had done so because she had a big empty space and knew something needed to go there.  The mirror, although attractive and large enough to fill the space, just didn't add much warmth to her room.  And even though the reflection in the mirror was not a bad one (part of a pretty stairwell),  it still left the viewer a little cold and did nothing to enhance the lovely room.

Decorating Tips - Pattern Blending Like a Pro

Our ability to pattern blend is what separates us from the animals.  It is our God given right as the king of the animal kingdom... It is right up there with walking on two feet.

Great pattern blending will turn a good design project into something exceptional.  If blended well, the room will be a personalized, unshoppable creation.

Real People Real Houses - Design Contest

Real People Real Houses is a new web site where homeowners, architects, contractors, interior designers, and interior decorators can post their design projects for their peers and the general public to view and comment. 

What Is Your Mirror Reflecting?

Notice the mirror above the fireplace in the photo to the left?  It looks like it is reflecting a wall - because it is. There is nothing too interesting about seeing a reflection of a wall, ceiling fan, kitchen cabinets, toilet, (yep toilet) etc...  Do you have a mirror above your fireplace because it seems like the place to hang a mirror?  What is it reflecting?

In the after photo below, the mirror was replaced with a print that was found in the master bathroom, although it looked great in there, it was needed above the mantel.  We call this "for the greater good of decorating" and you will hear me say it a lot.

 

Fireplace Mantels Don't Have to be Difficult

Decorating fireplace mantels can often be a challenge, or so we think. More times than not we make it more difficult than it  has to be.  Most of us want that “WOW” factor when we enter into a room, and know this can be achieved with just the right decorative touch. What we often forget or don’t realize is sometimes it’s the simplest things that can give us the best results.