I love Valentine’s Day! Each year I throw a “fancy” dinner party, as my kids like to say, and invite four or five couples to our house. I decide on a theme for dinner, then spend weeks combing the internet and my library of cookbooks, looking for just the right recipes.

About three weeks before the party, I send out the invitations. I have put Valentine confetti into the invites, which surprises my guests when they open the card. I will then scatter the confetti on the table along with the other decorations.

Over the years I have purchased a variety of vases, place card holders, candle sticks, linens and glassware that compliment the table. I buy lots of fresh flowers a few days before the party and have fun setting the table, changing it around some each year.You can get creative with clear glass vases.  Fill them with candy hearts or M & Ms and insert a small vase filled with flowers or a candle in the center.  Sometimes I will put individual vases with flowers at each person’s place setting.  This year I choose to use all red flowers down the center of the table.Another year I took an over sized champagne glass, filled it with water and floated candles and flowers. Small vases filled with multi colored flowers adorned each place setting along with hand made place cards for each guest.This year’s theme is all things French.  We will start with French Onion Soup Au Gratin, then mixed green salad with  French mustard vinaigrette. The main course will consist of Chicken Cordon Bleu, green beans Provencal, and basil mashed potatoes. While in France this past September, I couldn’t help but notice everyone stopping at Le Boulangerie for fresh Baguettes, so of course we will serve with sweet butterFor dessert, I will make heart shaped chocolate tarts, heart shaped sugar cookies and a traditional Tart Tartin, which is a caramelized upside down apple tart.Our dinner would not be complete without a variety of French wines. I will visit the local wine shop with my menu for the perfect pairings

Bon Appetite!

All summer we have been working with unusual fabric pairings.
I love to mix and match patterns and haven’t limited that mixing and matching to just sofa and chair fabrics.

Drapery can really energize a room when patterns and designs are mixed together.

A traditional style room can attain a more contemporary look and feel by mixing up the drapery fabric. When fabrics are mixed together it not only makes the room appear more dramatic, but adds depth to the space.

One of the challenges of decorating a resort or second home is to make it work as an all year round home. It’s difficult finding that perfect balance of fabrics that work well in all seasons. The Duralee collection has inspired some dynamite rooms this summer.

As we settle into the school year we are discovering some great looks in kid decor. Your child will probably be spending less time outdoors playing and more in their room studying. Hanging drapery panels on the sides of a window is both practical and a decorative way to provide privacy. Make sure their bedroom is a place they would want to spend more time in by freshening up the room with great fabrics.


Drapery panels not only provide privacy, but help keep a room cool or warm, and complement your interior decor.

We also specialize in Hunter Douglas window coverings.

From the Hampton line at Hodsoll McKenzie, London

Trina Turk for Dream Windows and Interiors

You can draw your color inspirations from carpeting or area rugs, furntiture draperies, window coverings or artwork. Decorative pillows can  pick up the colors in the opposite side of the room and give your decor a more cohesive look. Subconsciously, it will be pleasing to the eye.

Consider your lifestyle, and what your room is used for. In a family room where there are children and pets, select a practical, durable fabric.  Mix those pillows with a sturdy tapestry pillow, washable cottons and cotton/polyester blends and silk-like polyester pillows. In a formal living room, you can use elegant silk throw pillows, more delicate decorative pillows with beading, and tassels.

-Always here to help.
DIANE

This is the time of year the Hamptons wakes up.

It is a hectic time but a wonderful time. We have had a sleepy, and snowy off-season. The sun is out now, the town sidewalks are bustling with preparation.

From experience I know that if we get started now we could get your project finished by summer time. It is also the time of year that Hunter Douglas issues a huge Summer Sale with rebates and discounts.

Their technologies,
pattern choices and easy handling make them one of the finest choices out there. Some shades can be installed by Memorial Day.

It is Spring in every sense.

-Always here to help.

I put together a color board with some complimentary Kravet fabrics, and off we went!
All fabrics were backed for durability and coated with Pro Seal II for stain protection. The transformation was fabulous, and my clients were very happy with the end results.

Here’s another Feng Shui tip from Dream Windows and Interiors.

Curtains and all the soft furnishings in your home can be designed to enhance the Feng Shui of your personal space. You can energize the elements in your home just by adding the right window treatments.

Using the five elements of wood, fire, water, earth and metal as the base, it is good to note the productive cycle of these elements. Wood produces fire which produces earth which produces metal which produces water which produces wood in a never-ending cycle. Any element combination where one produces the other is harmonious.

The directions and their elements are as follows: East and South-east are wood; South is fire; North is water; West and North-west are metal; and South-west and North-east are earth.

In a west room, white curtains are excellent for suggesting the element of metal; ideal for “deflecting” excessive yang energies of the afternoon sun.

 (Left: This is an entire wrap around treatment.  The sheers are imported from Poland.  We used a box pleated valance and stationary panels from Robert Allen Fabric, and the trim is from RM Coco.)

In a bedroom that is located in the North corner of the home, an element to consider is water. Blue hues in your curtains work here and suggest water.

(Right: Fabric is Duralee, Hunter Douglas woven woods help keep light out. )

Feng Shui is often the place to start, the rules provide inspiration and inspire confidence in your choices.

Harmony and energy are always the goal.

As always, I’m here to help,

-Diane

Whew, back to work and reality after the holidays can be chaotic. We rush, we feast, we give and we get and then, the New Year hits. Suddenly, we’re up in the dark morning, back to work, school, errands and yes, even planning.

Now we’ll renew, we’ll refresh, we’ll plan, and we’ll resolve to make this year the best year yet.

First stop: a critical eye around our home. We’ve heard from you! One client wants to re configure her dining room – “the kids are bigger, and we were so squeezed,” while another wants to paint her office a color that works for potential resale.

Yet another client is ready to tackle the guest room – which has languished for years.

At times like these, we can look to the ancient masters for inspiration. The Art of Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese design tradition that allows you to harness the positive energy in your home.

Take a moment to read these ideas from the basic philosophy of Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway).
 

Like any design choice, you get to pick and choose so that your home reflects you and your family.

Feng Shui incorporates five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each element invokes a different mood or attribute. When incorporating all five elements into every room design – using specific elements according to your objectives, you have a customized space for your family’s life style.

• Wood represents the rising sun. It has an active energy, and it evokes the power of creativity and expansion. Use wooden objects to promote motivation, inspiration, and passion. To add more wood energy to a room, use vertical shapes.

• Fire is the most powerful of all the elements. Fire represents energy and passion. To increase the fire element in your space, add candles, animal prints, and shades of red, pink, and purple.

• Earth / Soil resemble the secure energy of the setting sun. It generates an overall feeling
of balance and stability. If you feel disorganized or unfocused, your space could use some earth elements. Look for anything in earth tones, and use images of calm landscapes.

• Metal affects mental clarity and logic. The right amount of metal in a room can help you feel
organized and focused. To enhance a space with the metal element, choose round or oval shapes; use white, gray, or silver colors; and use metal materials, like steel, iron, or aluminum.

• Water influences spirituality and emotions. A balance of water brings about inspiration, wisdom, and insightfulness. For water energy, add deep colors, reflective surfaces, and wavy shapes. Water features, such as aquariums and fountains, also work well.

These are the basic characteristics of the Feng Shui elements, one of the many choices to design your home in a balanced, comfortable way. We can help you “test” some Feng Shui choices, to create a home