House Beautiful Living Rooms

Today I'm sharing some of my favorite living rooms from House Beautiful. Notice the black doors here and the tiny black trim piece around the top of this room. It's those touches of black that keeps this light room grounded. HB is one of my very favorite decorating...

Gustavian Style

I don't know what kind of leader King Gustav III of Sweden was, but he really had some design sense! After spending much of his early life in the French courts of Versailles, Gustav developed a style that was heavily influenced by French Neo-Classical design, as well...

Why Men Fear Painting Wood

It's an age-old question: why do men fear painting wood? I can't tell you how many times the following has occurred: I have a color consultation with the lady of the house. There are some horrible 1970s-1980s pieces of wood furniture, dreaded fake paneling in the...

Echo Jaipur Bedding

I am in love with this gorgeous bedding by EchoDesigns. The colors are bold and beautiful, and the pattern is divine. I love the spa blue with the tangy yellow and saturated berry. I'm thinking I'd paint the walls in . . . an icy blue like Benjamin Moore's Woodlawn...

A Fresh Take on Yellow and Blue Decorating

Yellow and blue are a classic color combination. In the 1990's, the combo was a butter yellow and a darker blue (like that in Wedgwood china). Those shades together are still lovely, but how about an updated version? A fresh take on yellow and blue looks more like...

Updating Furniture with Paint

My client had dated wood dining room furniture and a limited budget. This pine set screamed, "country!!!" The brass chandelier didn't help, either. I had to come up with a cost-effective remedy. No problem. Hear me now and believe me later: paint is magic. It...

Bargain Art at Bed, Bath, & Beyond

My faithful readers know that I searched for a "Keep Calm and Carry On" print while in London earlier this year. And I could only find it emblazoned on a coffee mug. So I searched online for something and blogged about it here. Yesterday, I went shopping with a...

Leeds Castle, Part II

Welcome back to Leeds Castle in Kent, England! Check out Part I of the tour if you missed it last week. My tour of this lovely castle was the high point of my entire trip to England back in February. Isn't this hedge maze absolutely amazing? When Lady Baillie...

Bird Cage Headboard

I love it when I can inspire someone with an idea or a concept. I recently got an email and photo from one of my beloved readers about how she applied the inspiration she got from myrecent post about collecting birdcages. This beloved reader was stumped in regard to...

Leeds Castle

Today I want to share with you one of the most beautiful places in the world - Leeds Castle. I visited England in February of this year, and touring this castle was on my must-do list. Leeds Castle has been called the Ladies' Castle because it was bestowed upon...