Anonymous wrote:I live in a small open concept ranch. The front door is about 20 feet directly across from the kitchen island. How do I create some sort of faux foyer?

I think you have to use furniture to define the first few feet as your entrance.












You can also use the furniture in your main living area to designate the space by the door as a runway.

Anonymous wrote:I would love inspirational photos of kitchens with oak cabinets, white counters and a slate floor so that I can learn to live with the cabinets. Thanks for any help!

I think we should have a painting party at your house and change the color of those cabinets if you don't like them! It's a cheap way to make your space a little different while not changing any of the big features.

Anonymous wrote:Shoe storage ideas for mudroom or garage.

I feel like everything I'm seeing is the same - built ins with baskets, drawers, or cabinets. I don't think there's much new to find out there.

Anonymous wrote:OP, we have an upholstered bed in dark teal velvet and we’re looking for bedroom ideas. Our furniture is very dark brown wood, but unfortunately our wooden floors are orangey brown. Any idea for color schemes? We’re looking for something sexy and cosy.

I feel like teal is really big right now, so I bet we can find some good inspiration! Let's see what we can find with teal velvet in it...it might not always be the bed, but the rooms should provide some ideas.

















A few that aren't bedrooms...

Anonymous wrote:





Anyone on this thread good at sourcing? I want this floral print!!

It's Nairobi by Thibaut. Here it is in other colorways.

I think it's awesome that they are being creative about getting people in the space and are raising money at the same time. Churches can be intimidating to some and perhaps some events will have more people seeing it as a friendly space.

Treat yourself, OP! I bet you can find one coming off a lease that is in great condition and you'll probably pay about what a new sedan from a mainstream brand would be. Good luck with the search! Would love to see updates.

Ultimate is very common. As common as a capella on college campuses.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, OP! This thread is so fun! Do you have any inspiration images for adding charm to my 90s era builder grade McMansion?

There is an article in the next issue of Southern Home (not Southern Living, Southern Home) that is about this. I don't see the pictures on their website just yet.


Thinking back, the 2015 DC Design House was a new construction home. There might be some inspiration there.





I do think this is where studying designers' portfolios instead of just flipping through magazines or clicking around Houzz/Pinterest helps.


Bria Hammel Interiors...









Virginia Cheek...

Anonymous wrote:OP, you are so fun. If you're still around, I'd love ideas for bright, fun colors and/or wallpaper for small bedrooms.... one has a high, slanting ceiling, and the other has a regular flat ceiling. Thanks!

Oh, this will be fun. Adult or kid bedroom? I'll do a little of both.































This bedroom is kind of famous...it was on the cover of a magazine years ago. Maybe Domino or Trad Home?

Anonymous wrote:Random, but I’d love to see ideas for a walk through master bathroom. So: master bedroom—>bathroom in a hallway format—> closet in the very back.

Another request- medium sized bathroom with no windows but stills feel large and airy.

Hi there, I'm not sure what you are looking for with the first request. Lots of bathrooms have closets off of them, but I don't think that would change the materials you'd select for the bathroom...or the closet.










Similar to the kitchens without windows that were a few pages back, I think you'd want to make sure you have overhead and vanity lighting for a bathroom lacking natural light.

I know that the fixture in the last space is Visual Comfort's Classic Ring. I think the one before that is VC as well.

Designers get discounts on Visual Comfort, but you can sometimes find that brand at a discount from Shades of Light, which is based in Richmond.

Circa also has a more affordable site called Clarkson Lighting and you can sometime find similar items there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, apologies if I missed it, but curious as to whether you do this professionally or just for fun? You seem to be able to put together ideas in the blink of an eye!

Would love to see ideas on how to spruce up a split foyer, especially one that currently has metal railing. Thanks!

I’ll add do you know where some of this furniture is from?

Hi! This is just something I do for fun. I would love to work for a designer or in a showroom in the design center. Maybe when I retire, that could be my second act!

I can sometimes spot a few specific brands, but I also think that we are probably looking at a lost of custom pieces when the photos are from magazines like Veranda or from portfolios of big name designers. I do love the hunt, though, so if you ever saw something you liked, I might be able to track down something that might be close (and not custom!).


I see the requests that came in since I last visited. I'll definitely do some searching over the next few days to find some fun ideas!

If you just want a simple, square baseboard, you can get them at the big-box home improvement stores!

What is the price range you'd like to be in?

I think Ballard Designs has some great looking chairs that are smaller in scale. Since they are at Tysons, you could probably sit on a few to get an idea of their comfort. You can order them with performance fabrics, but that might be expensive. Here's the dining chair page on their website. They often run 20, 25, and 30% off sales. The best deal is when they have 25% off and free shipping (it works out to be better than 30% off and paying the furniture shipping charge).

If you want to spend a little less, World Market has great looking chairs. You could treat them with scotchguard. They run a lot of sales, too. You can also get cash back from online orders if you use a site like Rakuten. Here are their dining chairs.

Even lower in price, but I'm not sure of the quality would be Pier 1. They are closing 450 of their stores, so you might be able to get some good deals.