top of page
Search


Question: We’re shopping for a new dining table. How do we choose the shape? My husband wants ...
I always start with the shape of the room created by its furniture (other than the dining table). That is, an empty room may start out as a

PLC
3 min read
7 views
0 comments


Question: How can I make my ceiling seem higher?
Anything that makes your eye look up will help. For instance, place a can light on the floor, at the base of a potted plant, and shine it up

PLC
2 min read
10 views
0 comments


Question: Do you have any advice in choosing a ceiling fan?
Large fans move more air than small ones so it is more efficient to run a large fan, even on a low speed, than a small fan on a high speed.

PLC
2 min read
40 views
0 comments


Choosing a Faucet ... The Hardest Worker Bee in Your Kitchen
As the saying goes, “What have you done for me lately?” If you’re talking to your kitchen faucet, the response would be lengthy. Faucets was

PLC
4 min read
12 views
0 comments


When Couple’s Styles Clash
It’s not often that couples tell me, “We have the same taste, the same ideas, and the same goals.” So, a few years ago, I created an exercis

PLC
2 min read
9 views
0 comments


Design, Draperies, and Math
Math was on overdrive recently while designing draperies. I’ll describe the situation but don’t worry about following it precisely. The idea

PLC
3 min read
15 views
0 comments


Question: We’re renting a house while deciding whether to rebuild our home or live elsewhere in ...
the future. We lost it in the Napa fires. In the meantime, we’re renting furniture which is expensive to do (and uncomfortable). Can you...

PLC
2 min read
19 views
0 comments


Question: The inside of my house does not get much sunlight and it’s difficult to grow plants ...
It’s true that many artificial plants look fake. Even the silk ones can look like plastic or paper. But there are companies whose potted pla

PLC
2 min read
16 views
0 comments


Allure of Craquelure ... The Inspiration for a New Accessory
There is an age-old phenomenon, a fine pattern of dense cracking called “craquelure”, that sometimes occurs on the surface of oil paintings

PLC
3 min read
117 views
0 comments


Eclectic Style from Different Continents and a Pop of Orange
An eclectic style is hard to describe and even harder to create. It’s a careful mix of treasures, travels and memories reflected in furnishi

PLC
4 min read
12 views
0 comments


Curing the Red Oak Blues ... A 500-Year-Old Technique Makes a Comeback
If you find yourself in this predicament, the Spirits of Saturn, otherwise known as “Venetian ceruse”, may be the cure. If these terms are n

PLC
4 min read
495 views
0 comments


Neo-Industrial Minimalism
What is “neo-industrial minimalism”? It’s a style that originated in an unlikely place and time. I coined the phrase yesterday while driving

PLC
3 min read
340 views
0 comments


Stripes Checkered Past
As published in the Napa Valley Register. Whenever I look for fabrics for a design project, I keep a few things in mind. Above all, I...

PLC
3 min read
2 views
0 comments


When a Plaid is not a Plaid
As published in the Napa Valley Register If you’ve been out and about during this Christmas season, you’ve probably seen a lot of plaid....

PLC
3 min read
56 views
0 comments
bottom of page