Month: February 2019

14Feb

Look Great Inside And Out: How To Boost Your Home’s Curb Appeal

The weather may not have warmed up quite yet, but spring is just around the corner.  If you were planning to spruce up your home, then this is the perfect time for it.  While the interior design may be your priority, you shouldn’t put curb appeal at the bottom of your to-do list.  After all, like the cover of a book, your home’s exterior gives visitors an idea of what awaits them inside.  Plus, it can increase your property’s value.  With that in mind, here are five ways to boost your home curb appeal.

bust your home curb appeal

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12Feb

Mario Buatta’s Latest Creation Is A Nod To His Legendary Style

The late Interior Design legend Mario Buatta passed away a few months away.  Buatta was known as the Prince of Chintz for his quintessential use of classic elements such as the traditional print and his maximalist body of work.  In his last project, a glamorous duplex located in Manhattan overlooking the East River, the legendary designer left his tasteful mark in every one of the design choices, comfortable, plump seating, sumptuous drapery with dressmaker details, a glorious selection of color, touches of chinoiserie fantasy, and, yes, occasional bursts of flowered chintz.

Mario Buatta, purple room

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11Feb

Mary McDonal Grand Design In Full Display At Corona de Mar

Mary McDonald design, chinoiserie purple and white office

Mary McDonald’s style is synonymous to glamour, grandeur, over the top, and architectural design.  The 17,000-square-foot home she recently designed, distilled every one of those attributes mentioned above, from a very bold home library with custom wall paint to an impressive marble clad entryway.  The home, located in Corona del Mar, California belongs to Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson couple behind the California-based cosmetics brand Too Faced.

If you ever watched the Bravo TV show Million Dollar Decorators, you may remember Mary McDonald’s exuberant design as she was one of the Interior Designers in the show.  One of McDonald ’s consistent design elements is symmetry which she implements even in the least conventional forms, for instance in every one of Mary McDonald’s office desks; you’ll find a pair of table lamps, never one.  Another design element that Mary often favors is the use of a three-color pallete, a yellow, grey and black bedroom, a pink, black and beige room and so forth.

Mary McDonald design, black and white entryway

A custom de Gournay wallpaper with a pastoral landscape.

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08Feb

Two Perfect Neutral Outfits: From High To Low

The weather has been absolutely crazy this past month, from temperatures fluctuating from below zero to over 50s, heavy rain and scary-clouded skies, but I can’t think of anything else than neutral outfits, mostly in light colors.  Colors from camel, navy blue, beige and browns have been swirling in my head.  Whether you prefer to keep the neutral style casual and wear your fashionable sneakers or formal and instead wear a pair of heeled shoes, a traditional neutral outfit will get you through the door.  Accessorising is how you add the chic part to many outfits, so don’t forget to add a good pair of earrings and a good bag for the icing on the cake.

neutral outfit

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06Feb

Hosting A Big Family Gathering And How To Handle Stress

Family parties can be a strange combination of exhilaration, stress, and exhaustion. On the one hand, it’s a delight to see those relatives you haven’t seen in what seems like forever, but on the other, you might already be planning an escape route for when a controversial topic comes up, and you have to act as a mediator.

hosting a big family

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