The Secret Garden!

I just love the look of hedges in all different forms. As you can see in these photographs there are many ways to use hedging and create your own personal secret garden. The Chateau in France really just plays a supporting role in the drama of this garden. Just gorgeous. I love the purple rhododendrons, their flowers are magical to me. While spring and summer have flowers blooming, hedging takes center stage in the winter and fall and still make our gardens look beautiful. After my trip to South Carolina all the gardens had some form of hedging, large and small being used as a backdrop or dividing space. When driving in England and Ireland many of the roads are lined with large hedging which looks gorgeous and hides anything unsightly. If you can see over a hedge it is a "social" hedge and if it is above head height it is a "privacy" hedge. I thought the living woven willow hedge was very unique. I would think you would need a bit of patience doing this but how unique!

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge!

A perfect day! Congratulations!

Royal Invite!

Well get to bed early tonight as coverage of the Royal Wedding starts tomorrow morning in the North America at 4 am.

Lots of brunches, parties and dress up parties are planned all over the world. The clothing design world will be having lots of opinions on the wedding dress as well as what guests are wearing. It's fun to celebrate a happy occassion and this truly seems like a couple in love.

Signing off as....

The Duchess of Dallas

The Most Important Seat in the House!

Have you ever considered how much design goes into the the humble toilet? At Toto, the world's largest plumbing manufacturer, they take the job very seriously! The first photo is The Hermes by Toto and is a one piece contemporary toilet, very sleek in its design.

The second photo is The Soiree which is a clever combination of design, performance and award winning water conservation which Toto is famous for. So the next time you say" I'm off to a soiree", we will know where you are going!!!

When building or renovating check out their website to see the many different designs they have to offer. www.toto.com

Why Hire an Interior Designer??

The decoration of homes has captivated people throughout recorded history. Interior designers put style, their creativity and experience to work to help a home reach its full potential....whether it is a small studio or multi-million dollar property. My clients believe that having a designer has saved them considerable time and money by finding unique objects and also by avoiding costly errors. By helping a client make a decision on paint color or the direction you want a room to go can be a time saving experience for a client and not a stressful, worrisome one. What I try to do for each client is make the process as hassle-free as possible. Take a look at the two photo's ...a before and after of a kitchen. As you look at the photo you could say, "Well I could do that!". But in reality there are so many decisions to be made when re-doing a kitchen from appliances, cabinet style, tiles, counter tops, flooring and the list goes on and on...and making a wrong decision can be a costly and disappointing mistake.

My experience has been doing residential homes, ranches, beach houses from Los Angeles, Montana, Las Vegas, Toronto, Raleigh and of course Dallas and beyond so let's get together and discuss what we can do together with your next project...big or small.

Save the Date! The Royal Wedding

Now is the time to plan your Royal Brunch for April 29, 2011 to watch the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. CNN starts broadcasting at 4 am our time. For all the latest news on the wedding go to http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/. Here you can find out information on how you can send the newlyweds a wedding gift and find out all the latest information. To the left on the photograph is the picture of the Official Programme for the wedding. I have some friends who will be in some special viewing boxes with the Canadian government and my daughter will be there as well as it is a national holiday in the UK, so we will keep you posted on what they have to report.

An Evening in Wine Country!

On Saturday evening we raised money for the Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County at the Hilton Anatole. Our theme was An Evening in Wine Country with Kenny Loggins. Kenny' voice is still awesome and he did a wonderful performance. We had over 850 guests who got some great items from our silent auction auction and live auction, great food and entertainment ...all the while helping children in need and who can't help themselves. Thank you to all the many volunteers who helped make this such a wonderful evening. This was my sixth year being the decorating chair for this event and with the help of Rusty Glenn the ballroom looked amazing. It takes a village and for our wonderful philanthropic efforts in the Dallas area it is never just one person who makes things happen it is a village.

May Issue of Traditional Home - Gotta Have It!!

You've got to pick up the May issue of Traditional Home magazine to see the article about my dear friend Kimberly Schlegel Whitman. Traditional Home magazine followed Kim to Paris while she attended classes at the famous Catherine Muller Floral Design School. It sounds like it would a wonderful trip to do with girlfriends and a great excuse to tour Paris! Go to http://www.catherine-muller.fr/ to find out more about Catherine and the designing classes.

Planning an Engagement Party!!

One of life's biggest milestones is getting married and to celebrate that many couples have an engagement party. Anyone aside from the bride and groom,is welcome to host an engagement party but more often than not it is the bride's parents who do this at their home. Sometimes a favorite aunt and uncle or close friends will host a party as well. Do not invite anyone you will not be inviting to the wedding. This is a party and should be fun, relaxing and being enjoyed by your closest relatives and friends.

This question comes up all the time....should I bring a gift to the engagement party? Etiquette suggests that a gift is not required and is not expected. You are there to celebrate the couples upcoming nuptials! Toasts aren't just for wedding celebrations they are traditionally included at engagement parties. The father of the Bride-to-be is generally the first to toast, followed by the groom and then whoever else might want to say a few words. Toasts usually start two-thirds of the way through the party...so when the guests are enjoying dessert would be an excellent time.

Coordinating the colors of linens with what they are doing for the wedding would be a nice touch. Find out what the brides favorite flowers are, their preference in music and coming up with a signature cocktail is always fun for everyone!

These engagement photo's were taken for a couple who love the move "The Notebook". I thought that was very clever.

Questions??? Drop me an e-mail.

Furniture Placement

One of the first things you should consider in placing your furniture is the location of the focal point in the room. Often it is a fireplace, large windows or possibly bookshelves. If you don't have an obvious focal point what is it that you see first when entering the room? The floors, windows or wall space? Each room in our homes has a purpose for example in our living room we want an area for conversation,in the bedroom it is usually the bed and the family room the entertainment center. The largest piece of furniture should be placed in relation to the focal point of the room. You must be careful not to put all the large pieces together as this will make the room unbalanced. Things to consider when arranging furniture is there enough space to put down a drink or plate, lighting, chairs and places for accessories? Another important element is the traffic flow for the room.

Look at your room and see if you can make it more inviting and functional. Having trouble drop me an e-mail and we can talk!!

Dining Alfresco!!

Dining alfresco is one of the great delights of summer! Start planning now to tablescape outdoor tables by picking up interesting items while shopping or going to estate sales. I have found some wonderful vintage items at estate sales that make the table so inviting. There is something so romantic and fun eating outdoors. Every occasion just seems more special, maybe it is the sense of calm and relaxation we have and that we just don't seem to get as much of anymore. In any case turn off your phones, turn up the tunes and enjoy fresh lemonade and wonderful food!!

One of my favorite things to do is to do tablescapes and right now I'm working on several for Easter dinner for clients and their guests. I'm also putting together favors for the guests and families as well. I found these darling yellow chicks in a little metal cages that I will add some candy to. I picked up some Easter cello bags with darling Easter bunnies, baskets and chicks for gift tags and they could also be used for placecards on the table. When I'm finished I will post several tables that I personally did for Easter!

Guest Room Guide

It is always about the small details! Your guests will remember

that you took the time to do the extras to pamper them and make their stay extra special.

Make sure you have a good mattress and a good size so your guests are comfortable. Beautiful linens and bath accessories are a must and make sure you have the linens pressed. Fresh flowers, beautiful bars of soap, magazines, small tray of fresh fruit and packages of healthy snacks are always a welcome and appreciated touch. Wooden and or fabric hangers in closet along with a lavender room spray, a variety of good pillows and a magnifying mirror are what makes a perfect hostess!!!

Something's Gotta Give

So many of you wrote and commented on how you all loved the house in the movie Something's Gotta Give that I thought I'd show you a few more that I came across. It seems that this was a very memorable and popular home. It feels homey, relaxing and comfortable and looks like a wonderful place to entertain...which is perfect for a beach house.

Hippity Hop Easters' on it's Way!!!

Well it many places in the country the signs of Spring have started....have you seen your first robin yet? Here in the south most of our flowering trees are already done and the bulbs are finishing up but in the north you still have these visual pleasures to look forward to. Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking about your Easter or seasonal table. Pick up a bunch of daffadils at the store, hydrangea plants are out now too and look how great the jelly bean arrangement looks...easy, fun and happy!

Naturals always Beautiful!

When the summertime hits I like to change out my accessories in the house by adding some summery feeling accents. Bowls full of shells or some of these shell candles are lovely. Decorate your table outside in the garden with some of these pieces for outdoor dining.

There is something so beautiful about the shells and corals. Last week when I was in South Carolina we went to the ocean and collected oyster shells...shiny and pearly. My girlfriend and I then glue gunned the shells to a a large juice glass and made beautiful votives for the mantle of their beach home. There are pillows and lamps that can continue the look for the summer in your home. Have fun with it! I have large clear glass cylinders and filled them with blue crayola sand avaliable at Wal-Mart from Pavestone. I then added shells and candles to some and water with floating fish to others.