Furnishings That Enhancing Your Home's Architecture

The size and shape of a room can dictate the size and shape of a dining table and its chandelier.  In this photo of an octagon shaped breakfast area, designer Jill Rankl used a large round table to soften the lines of the space while highlighting its unique architectural detailing to the outdoors. 

The large resin stone table seats six comfortably and lends itself to intimate conversations.  The pedestal base allows the chairs to slide in and out with ease giving flexibility of squeezing one more person in.  Her choice of six fully upholstered side chairs with their scoop back, follow the round of the table freeing up additional space. The rich chocolate brown, blue & gold brocade damask on the chairs not only warms the space but add simplistic elegance and decoration.

 Given the tall ceiling height and large table size, she placed an oversized gold gilt drum fixture/chandelier to make a visually appealing statement.

For more information on enhancing your unique spaces, click here.

              Making An Entrance

    What makes a house a home? What makes interior decoration become interior decoration!? Its YOU! The thing that makes you different from every other person on this planet is your style, your interests, the way you speak, walk, laugh and relate to the world around you. What ever it is that gets you out of bed in the morning and propels you through your day makes you unique and special. So why settle for the same old same old in your interiors? When putting together your interiors let those special things about YOU come out and shine! I love how this shot of LCR owner and lead designer Peter Robbin’s entrance foyer speaks to his individuality and taste. The eclectic layering of textures, finishes, forms and origins speaks volumes about the gentle and sophisticated man who lives here.

          Starting with the walls, covered in the most sumptuous handmade tea paper in varying shades of silver and platinum Peter has created a quiet and soothing backdrop for this wonderful arrangement of objet. To give weight to the scene he has placed a classically styled chest finished in hand painted faux bamboo as a stage for belongings, as well as a spot to throw the mail and keys when he comes home after a day of creativity. What stands out to me in this tableau is the MIX! The terracotta figure of a man in Asian garb as a lamp says “classic tradition” while the limited edition vase in black and white says “avant garde”.  The wire dress form says “fun” next to the alabaster grapes that speak to “scale”. The central placement and strength of the contemporary painting lets the viewer know that art is important to this home owner. What he has done to so masterfully relate these disparate pieces to one another is the simple use of the color, black and white and red. Despite the varying origins and surfaces this beautiful tablescape is balanced, harmonious and most importantly personal.

         So remember that when you are striving to create beauty in your home look in the mirror for the answer as to where to start. It is within each of you to create what will speak to you personally and to let those privileged enough to enter your space know a bit more about you.

Restful Monochromati

This Florida living space in a high rise on the ocean is a study in soft blue, blue-grey, and black.


The walls, sofa, chairs and carpet share the same shade of blue, but, adding interest, their textures vary. In this gracious coastal aerie, the view is the most important thing.  The monochromatic blue scheme helps connect inside and outside.  Quiet color lets the eye rest in the interior before the gaze moves easily to the soft and shifting blue shades of sea and sky.   Monochromatic schemes are usually a simple color statement (and not only beige!).  They help frame and highlight beautiful views, important art, thoughtful accessories and the subtleties of texture.