My Design Secrets

Potential clients often ask what my “Style” is.  While I am happy to share how my home is furnished, the important thing is how I will use my expertise to express their style.  After all, this is about my client, not me.

There are some designers and decorators who have a “look” and they use it over and over again.  That works for people who are unsure of what they want and feel more secure in just pointing to a photo.  Personally, I think the real value of hiring a designer is allowing them to use their talent to translate your style into a wonderful new design.  As a designer, my job is to help you identify a style that you find beautiful and comfortable for you and your family; and then, bring it to life!

When I was still in design school, I started working as a decorator.  Fortunately, I have some very trusting friends and family members who allowed me to test my talents in their homes.  For the most part (barring a few mistakes that were promptly fixed) the designs came out very well.  Over the years, it’s been my ability to translate the tastes of my clients that has brought me much success.

Today I am sharing some photos with you of my mom’s home.  I am very thankful to her for allowing me to renovate (once) and decorate (multiple times) her home.  I have noticed that when it comes to family and friends it’s tempting to make assumptions about their personal taste.  But beware, this can put you in dangerous territory.  To make sure my mom got the home she wanted, I asked a lot of questions (What did she want to keep? What colors did she love?  Which ones had she grown tired of?) and gave her many different options. 

The result: a home that possessed sentimental elements of her personal history but at the same time expressed the wonderful person she has become over the years.

So whether you hire a designer or decorate your own home, give it the time and attention it deserves.  My designs take time, patience, and careful consideration.  Tastes change over the years, so let your home be a reflection of where you have come from as well as where you are going.

Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

I started My Design Secrets more than a year ago with one goal in mind:  Help people who love home decorating by giving them professional advice and easy access to the best online interior decorating sources.  After receiving a lot of wonderful feedback and learning that close to 100,000 people visted the database last year, I realized that My Secret Database was the answer to many of your decorating prayers!  So, I  was determined to continue sharing my interior design advice and resources.

A couple of months ago, I announced that we would be making some upgrades to the website.  Now, the time has come!  We wanted to make My Design Secrets even more useful, interesting, and fun for all of you decorating enthusiasts. (And for those of you who don’t know, my husband, Tim,  is the what turns “me” into “we”.)

So, here is what’s in store…

Improvements to My Secret Database *

The new database is PHENOMENAL.  When it comes to home decorating, My Secret Database blows any search engine out of the water.  Take that Google!  Here’s why: 

• Search through hundreds of online retailers for the product(s) you need and in the specific style you want.
• View a wide assortment of photos of specific products from the vendors in My Secrets Database. 
• Check out the the handy $-$$-$$$!  These icons will help you stay within your home decorating budget.

*While we wanted to keep doing all this for free, a girl has got to make a living!   With all these great new features, we are confident that you will recognize what a great value it is.  So starting this Wednesday at noon, My Secret Database is going to become a membership only site.  We are sure you will agree that the nominal charge of $9.95 per month is a fair price for access to this incredibly valuable, time-saving database.

Hot New Topics and Inside Tips in the Blog (Free)

The blog will continue to be free of charge and will offer my professional design tips as well as introductions to some of the hottest new decorating sources on the web.  I have lots of great ideas for new topics and, as always, you are welcome to make suggestions.  Feel free to search my existing blog entries covering over 350 decorating topics!

Great New Giveaways

We know you all love a Great Giveaway, so those are definitely going to continue.  We have some great ones lined up for high quality paint, gorgeous home furnishings, and fabulous interior decorating/design books.  And remember, your paid membership will automatically enter you into the giveaways.

Thank You…Thank You…Thank You

I have appreciated your support over the last year and sincerely hope that you will find these upgrades very helpful as you continue to put your personal decorating stamp on your home.

~ Lorrie

Have you grown tired of your living room decor?  Would you like to start with a fresh new look that doesn’t break the bank?  An interior redesign, which involves using your existing furnishings and accessories for the design, may be just the thing for you!  With a little creativity and some elbow grease, you can transform the look of your living room in less than one day, on less than one dollar.

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Are you following me on twitter?  You should be!

~ Lorrie

Patrick J. Baglino, Jr.

Get ready to take notes boys and girls.  Or at the very least, bookmark this page!  You are about to get a lesson in good design with Washington D.C. based interior designer, Patrick J. Baglino, Jr.  Patrick is not only sharing a few photos from his portfolio (which you must see), but he has also been kind enough to answer a couple of my questions. 

Working out of the trendy and vibrant Dupont Circle neighborhood, Patrick has established himself as one of the premier interior designers in Washington D.C.  His interiors - he refers to them as ”Urban Sophisticated” - are innovative, eclectic and traditional with a contemporary twist.  Welcome Patrick!

Some of our readers, including Alicia’s husband,  are under the impression that furniture should be purchased as a “set” and should “match.”   I should note that Alicia vehemently disagrees with her husband!   

And I do too!

Patrick, in this living room that you designed, which is fabulous by the way, you have incorporated a variety of different materials and finishes.  Can you explain to our readers why this works?

I enjoy an eclectic mix in most rooms I design. I believe the use of different materials and textures add visual interest and excitement.  This living room combines dark wood finishes along with painted finishes as well as metal, mirrored glass and natural stone. Additionally, leather, damask, embroidered satin, smooth silk and velvet fabrics are employed in this design.

These different finishes and materials not only look beautiful individually, but they work well together to create a harmonious mix.  The red velvet chair and crimson painted bench adds dramatic “punch” to the room.  The painted tables provide a nice foil to the java wood finishes.

A graceful swirl design is found in the silk tufting of the rug, the stone ivory lamp, the legs of the coffee table, the curve of the klismos chair back and the base of the metal mirrored side table.  While the materials of each of these pieces are different, they all share one common element or theme.  They are united by the flowing curves and swirl design.  This commonality is best defined as harmony in interior design.

Next, let’s tackle lighting!

Patrick, our readers express their frustration when trying to achieve the proper balance with lighting.  The common complaints are that it’s too bright, too dark, provides no ambiance, etc…  You have done a nice job of striking a good balance in this particular bathroom you designed.  How were you able to accomplish this?

In order to properly light any space it is always important to consider different types of lighting methods.  Generally, a well-designed room will benefit from general or overall lighting, task lighting and accent or decorative lighting.

In this bathroom, I used recessed halogen lighting in the ceiling to provide general lighting throughout the space. These lights are on dimmer switches. (I am a strong believer in the use of dimmers, as they have a magical way of adding instant ambiance and comfort to a space.)

In order to provide crisp, bright lighting near the sinks and mirrors, I installed task lighting fixtures in between the mirrors.  The lights, which are essentially glass cylinders, provide up-lighting, down-lighting and is the perfect task lighting for applying make-up, shaving, etc.

The open shower also has a light set into the ceiling which not only balances out the recessed lighting and the fixtures at the mirrors, but also provides additional task lighting for the shower area.  This light looks great when left on while all the other lights are turned off.  It is the perfect night-light or accent light.

Thanks for the great decorating tips Patrick.  Have a great day everyone!

~ Lorrie

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Win a $200 JCPenney Gift Card!

Thank you for your tremendously positive response to the fabulous bathroom makeover last week.  My friend Amy is now a celebrity in the most prestigious circles of New Jersey!  I hope that you will be able to use my valuable tips for your own project.  Now I am back with more insider guidance to take you every step of the way in designing a beautiful living room.

Today I am featuring a project I completed on a very tight schedule.  Normally, after carefully considering my client’s wants and needs, I order custom furnishings that take at least 3-4 months to be fabricated and delivered.  In this instance, my client needed to move into the apartment within 2 months and he wanted a Modern look.  With a little ingenuity and a lot hard work, the project was successfully completed in 2 months flat, from start to finish.  For 90% of the project I used the very same retail sources that you have access to in My Secret Database.

Here’s an easy way to successfully furnish a fantastic living room:

1. Have a clear vision of the look you are after.  Look through magazines and at photos online.  Be honest with yourself.  Trends are tempting; but will you still love the look a few years from now?  Keep these photos with you at all times as a guide.
2. Look at the bones of your project.  In this project the carpeting and the walls were drab.  We changed the carpeting from a flecked Berber to a solid one and then choose a warm celery color for the walls that was used throughout the whole apartment.  A small space feels larger and more unified with one color.
3. Furniture first – the rest later.  You might be inspired by a pillow, but that should not be your first purchase.  Select your furniture and then move on to pillows, window treatments and accessories.  They are the icing on the cake.
4. Be patient – If you you find a sofa and chairs you love at a great price, but you have to wait a couple of months for delivery, then wait it out.  So many people will drive themselves crazy for the next two months looking for a replacement that can be delivered immediately, only to come back to the original choice in the end.
5. Great design is in the details.  This project is 3 years old, but you would never know it.  Here are some affordable tips to get the designer look.

• The custom-made draperies shown are white cotton panels with silver grommets.  Lately I have seen many low-cost imitations at JCPenney, Restoration Hardware and Linens-N-Things.
• One of my great designer secrets is that Crate and Barrel has a phenomenal selection of pillows with down fillers at great prices. 
• The lamp shown is quite expensive, but I wrote a post in January showing an affordable replacement.

I hope this inspires you to start your project and to move forward with confidence.  Explore My Secret Database to quickly find the treasures you seek!

Panasonic 42″ Plasma HDTV from Circuit City

Superbowl Sunday is quickly approaching. If you did not purchase a flat screen TV for Christmas you might be tempted to get one before the big game. The recent International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas further proved that flat screens are all the rage. They are getting thinner and thinner and also are featuring more designer options such as color and attractive stands. Many designers who previously did everything in their power to hide TV’s are now admitting defeat and realizing that tech toys are a source of pride for most consumers and they want to display them front and center. While I admit I have hidden them in armoires and built-in cabinetry in the past I am finding it is easier to work them into the design these days. The fact that they are so thin and can be hung on the wall is a huge plus. Also, many companies have caught on to the trend and there are many attractive storage options for the components.

I know it’s tempting to purchase one at the spur of the moment when the price is right, but if you want your new tech toy to fit more seamlessly into your home keep a few things in mind.

1. Size: Bigger is not always better. You should purchase a TV that is going to work best in your home and that means taking the viewing distance into consideration. How far are you going to be sitting from the TV? CNET has some great advice to share on this topic.

2. Location: Where is your cable hookup and are you prepared to move it to where you think the TV looks best? Is the light from the windows going to shine on the TV? Do you want to be able to see the TV from the Kitchen?

3. Height: Whether you are hanging the TV on the wall or putting it in a cabinet or on a stand, the right viewing height is critical. You don’t want to be craning your neck to see the TV. The middle of the TV should be in line with your eyes. For a 6′ person that is about 52″ above the floor. Consider everyone in the family and average it out.

4. Components: That TV looks pretty slick all by itself, doesn’t it? Well don’t get used to it because you still need to hook up the cable box, TiVo, stereo, DVD player, speakers and computer. Where are they going to go?

Basically you can buy a stand, have someone build it in or have the components tucked away remotely in a closet. But remember, all these options are going to cost additional money. Stands are your least expensive option and there are some very nice ones out there.

TVX1 from Boltz for 34″ – 36″ TVs

If your taste is more on the modern side, I like the products from a company called Boltz that makes some very cool, minamalist stands. The also carry coffee tables and other furniture if you want to tie the whole look together.

Sligh TV Console 9711–1DM

If you are more traditional. Sligh has some really nice stands and they can be ordered from a retailer near you.

Happy Viewing!