From the category archives:

Accessories

Much Smaller Than A Breadbox

March 4, 2010 Accessories

Whenever I walk into a client’s home and see one of those large floral boxes of tissues in the living room, I ask, “Do you really need to have those out on the coffee table/end table/media cabinet?”
I realize that I sound like a la-di-da decorator but why oh why does anyone require a big unattractive [...]

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Decorating On The Radio

February 10, 2010 Accessories

This morning I did a radio interview and was asked several questions that I thought might be of interest to you. Here are a few:
Q: What are some of the ways a kitchen can be improved without spending money, since most people seem to hang out in that room a lot?
A: Clear the countertops of [...]

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A Use What You Have Christmas at the White House

December 23, 2009 Accessories

This year the Obamas did things a bit differently than past occupants to decorate “the people’s house:” they decided to reuse approximately 800 ornaments that were left over from previous administrations and sent them to 60 local community groups around the country for redecoration. Simon Doonan, who is well known for his original displays in [...]

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What Trash!

December 8, 2009 Accessories

At this time of year, with holiday decorations taking up lots of space, it’s especially important that we rid our homes of junk mail and catalogs.
There are a couple of steps we can take to proactively prevent pile-ups and save more trees: calling or emailing the senders; asking to opt out of future mailings, and [...]

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Does It Make You Smile?

October 16, 2009 Accessories

A client who lives on Central Park West recently mentioned that she’d seen a couple of very cute accessories at Target but didn’t buy them because she would have felt uncomfortable if someone asked her where she’d found them. Tar-jay, a problem? I guess she needs to read Metropolitan Home magazine and check out their [...]

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Tuft Love

July 29, 2009 Accessories

I love tufting.
It’s classic, it’s elegant and it can add personality to even plain furnishings.
Tufted chairs, tufted headboards, tufted ottomans and tufted daybeds, to name a few: tufting works wonders on almost any upholstered or leather piece when it comes to upping its chic quotient. Whether it has a lot of covered buttons, just a [...]

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Seeing Double, Triple and Quadruple

April 28, 2009 Accessories

Lots of my clients have wedding photos of themselves or of their children decorating their living rooms – and their family rooms, bedrooms and hallways. Yes, it’s wonderful to be reminded of a special occasion but is it necessary to display the same picture from four different angles? Perhaps it’s just me, but I think [...]

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Enough Is Enough

March 6, 2009 Accessories

Have you ever visited a home where every inch of space has been “decorated?” I have a feeling you have. I know I have – many, many times.
Each wall, most surfaces and much of the floor is covered with cutesy or artsy knick-knacks, not to mention lots of furniture. Let’s put it this way: There’s [...]

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It’s The White Answer

March 2, 2009 Accessories

White accessories are on display everywhere these days: They are hot, hot, hot in magazines and even in television advertising.
Now, I love this color and can never get enough of it because I work with so many other hues and lots of pattern all the time. When I get home, my orbs need a break [...]

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Say It Again, Ludwig

February 2, 2009 Accessories

One of the good things that seems to be a result of the challenging economic times we are going through may be that we are turning back to simpler pursuits: Spending more time with family; pinpointing enjoyable home-based hobbies; regularly repairing things rather than shopping and replacing them; gardening and improving what we [...]

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Flowers: Priceless

January 13, 2009 Accessories

I love flowers – they lift my spirits. I love seeing them outdoors in gardens or growing wild along highways. I love them indoors in vases on coffee tables and on bureaus – pretty much anywhere, actually. Right now, in my home, I am enjoying the fragrance of hyacinths – my husband’s favorites – in [...]

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Reader’s Digest – Love Me, Love My Home

December 16, 2008 Accessories

December 15, 2008
Many of my clients tell me they are embarrassed by the way their homes look, when I meet them for the first time. As a result, most of these people don’t entertain their friends or family because they don’t feel comfortable in their houses or apartments. It usually means their places do not [...]

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To Cherish And To Keep

September 29, 2008 Accessories

Whenever people are asked, “If your house was on fire, what would be the one thing you would take with you, aside from your pets?” many, if not most, answer, “my family photos.”
Whether framed and on display in our homes or stored in albums, those of us who treasure our connection to our relatives and [...]

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