Pendant Light Style...

• I recently came across this new pendant light design and thought it would work great in various styles of homes in a dining room, breakfast area or even a couple of them over a kitchen island...

• Check it out here....Pendant

Wrought Iron Vintage : Modern Storage Solution

• I'm always on the lookout for great looking storage options...These wrought iron baskets are great...

• I can see these working in a country farmhouse mud room, pantry, hallway, laundry room, bathroom, playroom...but I can also see them working great in an urban loft setting too...

• The open style allows for things to remain organized and still be accessible when you need them...

• More storage.... Click Here

Kitchens : Still The Heart of The Home with Lighting

• My love of films is always in the background of my thoughts and planning for any design project...To me, designing is about setting the stage for the lives of those that are living in a particular house project...

• In film, a set is designed and built for a character's space...all the details of what make that character unique and interesting are brought in - but it's all about setting the stage for their life within that film...An illusion is created...

• In designing for real life people, it is much the same...bringing together an environment that captures the essence of who they are and how they live in that space...

• One thing that unifies these two worlds is that a film set does not come to life until the areas are properly lit.  The same can be said for real life spaces in our homes...Lighting creates the magic and brings spaces to life in the right way...

• From the beginning, as I'm planning a space, I am thinking about lighting and how it will be used in the end...

• In my own home, I'm always using dimmers to control levels of light because sometimes you need good overall lighting for food prep or school projects, but then other times you want mood lighting that is softer for entertaining or enjoying a good meal...

• So if you are thinking of renovating or simply upgrading existing lighting in your own kitchen - think about ways to use it creatively to be useful to you and the space overall - but also to use it to transform the space and bring it to life in the right way...

• This kitchen shown (directly above) is a kitchen set we used to shoot the pilot for my television show of which my upcoming book NO PLACE LIKE HOME was based on.  To me, the homeowner of this kitchen has it right.  The use of various kinds of lighting - all serving various purposes and areas - truly is done perfectly...

• You can see it to believe it - how lighting truly makes a space come to life and makes you feel right at home. 

Basements : Spaces with Great Potential...

• Basements can be forgotten areas when it comes to renovating or trying to create additional "living space" in your home...because many people think the spaces will be cold and uninviting...

• To me, if you have an open basement, it's all about figuring out how you can use that space creatively..

• My biggest creative advice is to create spaces that you can enjoy using everyday for a home office, craft room, home gym, kid's playroom, TV room, etc...

• So how can you make those spaces warm and inviting (even if you have no windows down there)?....Good lighting options and surrounding yourself with things you love...

• This creative space I designed for a friend's home office/craft room has no windows, but the room seems bright and sunny just the same...Good color on the walls, lighting that creates a mood and things that the homeowners enjoys all around...

• It's all in how you bring in the details to make you feel right at home...