Swatches and Snippets from Our Studio

In May,  Jim and I  took along weekend with our friends the Thompsons', to Bentonville Arkansas, better known as the home of the Sam Walton Clan and Walmart. They had traveled through the area a few years ago, stopping at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and were disappointed that they didn't have more time to spend there. Always up for a road trip, I was excited to spend time with our friends, but did not have high expectations for our destination. I could not have been more wrong! Bentonville  is a small city with a big history. The town square is so picturesque and it is lined with small shops and amazing restaurants. We visited the Sam Walton Museum and ate ice cream on park benches. But the real highlight was a world class art museum in the middle of  the forests of Arkansas. I encourage you to make this trip! The museum itself will take the better part of two days to explore.  You might check their online calendar as they special showings several t...

High Point Market April 2018  We all need inspiration in our creative lives and for me it is a week in High Point North Carolina Furniture Market every April. (They also have a Market in October but it never fits into my schedule as well.) The journey to High Point North Carolina is not for the faint of heart. There is no airport serving the city, so you must fly into one of 3 that are each at least an hour shuttle ride from your destination. And forget about staying in the city of High Point. Vendors and Furniture dealers with multiple stores, have standing arrangements with hotels and their version of the Air B&B. For decades, the residents of High Point get the heck out town when it is market time. They have standing arrangements to lease out their homes to companies with several attendees. I once joined one of my furniture reps and slept on the top bunk of a " princes room". Room was free but I did pay a "price". As a seasoned attendee, I now o...

              2018 was an Amazing Year. I always imagine how great it would be to share our projects with our followers as they progress; however, reality gets in the way and I am always involved in the moment and never think about taking pictures  until after the fact. So Patty and I came up with the idea of  a year in review as a great way to recap for ourselves. We hope you will enjoy it with us.  In January and February I made three commitments. One was to a favorite long time client to transform her living room from this comfy but well used room...  #1  To this fabulously bright and cheerful living space with enough seating for large family gatherings. The lemon yellow curved sofa adds softness to the crisp back and white fabrics. This project grew in so many directions and the completed reveal was in November....so you'll  have to wait a bit to see the rest. #2       ...

  THIS IS TRULY MY HAPPY COLOR!                       THANK YOU  COLOR GODS                               aka  Color Marketing Group Last year it was ULTRA VIOLET. Great for a sweater or a couple of throw pillows, but....Color of the Year? Coral adds a touch of warmth and compliments so many other neutrals. I helped a client with this bedroom 5 years ago. Warm and inviting with touches of vibrant coral. This eclectic living space is a compilation of a dozen colors and patterns . This lively coral hold it all together. This space was done about 3 years ago. It is about time  Coral got it's color award.

At Studio Designs we take our responsibility to our clients and their projects very seriously. We do everything in our power to exceed their expectations. We do however expect the process to be FUN. Our objective is to make the project as stress free as possible on our clients and to help them relax and enjoy the process while we handle we manage the project and their budget Swatches and Snippets is our way to let perspective clients get to know us and to keep in touch with ongoing clients and friends. We hope that you will enjoy our ideas and tidbits.

Trading Spaces, a TLC series that was popular about 10 years ago. will return to television this April. The premise is that friends or neighbors decorate each others spaces with a budget of $2000.00 and the help of Celebrity Decorators. (Notice I don't use the term Interior Designer.)  I consider Trading Spaces the Comedy Central of home decorating shows. Why would  someone glue hundreds of artificial flowers  on a bathroom wall if not for comedy relief? But I love to watch these train wrecks and the reactions of their friends when they see their $2000 redecoration reveal. Some are quite well done, others not so much, but for me, it is  good entertainment and I look forward to its return! This will be fun. It is like the Comedy Central of Interior Design with huge personalities and "let the rules (and sometimes taste) go" decorating. I few years ago ( well ,about 10) I had the good fortune to be called upon to assist Frank Bielec on an episode filmed o...

Our good friend and owner of Jenny Maids, Jennifer Larkin   http://www.hellojennymaids.com/468-2/our-services-2/  called this morning to ask if she could use our home to film a spot on KWCH about cleaning  for cold and flu season. Of course I said yes.  She said she would call me back with a date.  The date was today; in two hrs. Realizing I really needed to  get my Christmas down, we had a manic 2 hrs of cleaning before the cleaning. Look for her at 5 o'clock on channel 12