For those of us who love collecting pretty things, there is a problem.  When is enough, enough?  When do the amazing things we own prevent our style from even being visible?  Our style is buried under the clutter.  Too much furniture and collectibles wedged into a room not big enough for it all.  But we love it all, so how can we get rid of any of it? I went through this in my living room, especially.  It’s a really small space, but I wanted to fill it! While I loved everything in the room, I realized it wasn’t really the look I was going for.  It felt too busy and crowded.  I wanted it to feel light and airy, so I started rearranging and editing.  I remember having a moment when I stepped back, took in the space, and thought, “There it is!  There’s my style.” (Sorry, I need

Happy Friday!  Kriste and I are back with another episode of Design Ramblings.   In our 10th episode (woohoo) we talk about investment pieces for the home.  It took me many years of decorating and redecorating to learn that some things are worth a splurge…   Yep, I’m a little bit passionate about bed frames, in case you didn’t notice!  The bed frame I mention in the video is the Vienne bed from Restoration Hardware… The sofa I have is the Brooklyn leather sofa in Toffee from Pottery Barn… And the “cow paintings” we talk about are by Cindy Austin, who sells prints of the originals in her Etsy shop. What are your favorite investment pieces?  What are you saving your pennies (or gift cards and credit card points) for?

It seems like, for most people, a stepping stone to home ownership is renting.  It’s probably safe to say that most of us started out our adult lives as renters and many are still renters for various reasons.  Living in a rented space was the norm for me as I was growing up, since my dad was in the military.  I also experienced renting for the first six years of our marriage and now I’m experiencing it again as I’m renting the studio space for my business. For those of us who love decorating, renting can be frustrating.  We want the option to customize our space, but usually we’re not allowed or it’s not worth the time and money to make improvements to a space that isn’t ours.  There is a lot you can do in a rented space, though…everything from peel & stick wall paper to starching fabric on