What the heck, if the pink door makes you happy, paint it pink or anything else that makes you happy (barring of course, those dreary HOA rules).I know it would give me a lift just knocking on it. The front door should greet you and make you feel good. This works because the all white house doesn’t compete with it. It listens.

Look at the lovely detail on this old Irish window. I love discovering these treasures.
If you have modern wood windows, these ‘finials’ could easily be added. I also added a 1 1/2″ shelf to the top of the lower sash that allowed  the sun to shine through a collection of colored glass. It looked fabulous. Lots of bang for the buck I say!

Sometimes, I just let things speak for themselves. Simplicity is beautiful too.

A simple grouping of things you have around the house can light up the top of and armoire. The arched shape framework holds it all together. Hint: When the eye is drawn upward where there is more space, it experientially expands the space.

I assembled this unexpected vignette at the top of the stairs to create a mystery. The old window, complete with wavy glass, creates the illusion that this hand painted life-size woman from the time of Vermeer is standing behind a counter waiting to serve you next. Surprise is also part of decorating. Be adventurous. It adds life to the home.

I spotted this charming idea at the back door of a Frederick, Maryland historic town house. Cast-offs can beautiful and functional, not to mention free!

**Double click to see the true colors and to see the room up close!..This shady living room needed some sunshine, so I brought in the yellow walls, colorful carpet and framed the window in red, yellow green side hangs. The furniture that the customer kept, was placed to see both the TV (inside the cabinet by the fireplace) and the fireplace itself. The tropical fan holds the center of the room.

My client had a lot of family memorabilia, so I used it to create this “Story” in her living room. Don’t forget the small stuff. It gives a magical warmth to the home.

In the US, we always expose the candle neck. I didn’t realize long shades are more historic.

I noticed this unusual and beautiful window lock in Ireland.
Why can’t we in the US design more creative hardware. Standardization limits creativity.

My laundry room does double duty as a butlers pantry. It’s great as a staging area for parties.I painted a sky on the ceiling and embedded antique tiles in the bead board above the sink.That strange wooden contraption hanging on the divider wall is a very handy retractable antique drying rack.l Why not add special touches to the laundry room too? It adds character to your home. Every room is important.