Many thanks to the folks at The Hill is Home blog for interviewing me as part of their new monthly design feature.  Kyra Deblaker-Gebhard is great to work with!

The article can be found here.

I haven't been able to ignore the fact that I need to purchase outdoor furniture for my new balcony because every day I receive a home furnishing catalog in the mail featuring new outdoor furniture collections!  The options have expanded over the years as many Americans increasingly view their outdoor space as an extension of their living space.  I have so many options to choose from, many of which are affordable.

Here are a couple of options for you to consider if you are also looking for new outdoor furniture:

Wisteria's new collection is centered around furniture that one would find in a New England lake house with a light and beachy feel.  They also have a few pieces grounded in vintage design such as this great Vintage White Patio Chair.

Ballard Design's outdoor furniture is 20% off through June 1.  They offer some comfy collections, including my favorite:  Corsica.   I would love to crawl up with a book and sit on this chair all afternoon on a beautiful, sunny day!

 

 

The warmer weather means weekend opportunities to work on the outside areas of your home.  Paint the wood and/or brick surfaces this summer if your house needs a fresh coat of paint or you are simply desiring a change.  Pick a new color scheme with at least two colors:  one for the main surface and another for the trim.  Be creative and use paint to bring out the architectural features in the exterior of your home.  Just be sure the exterior of your home doesn't look too busy.  That is, too many colors on too many surfaces make look too complex to the eye.

Add color to the exterior of your home through plants and flowers.  Talk with a reputable nursery in your area about which plants are low-maintenance and appropriate for your climate zone and soil type if you feel like you have a black thumb.  Purchasing high quality, perennial plants will be a small investment to make your home look more inviting and unique. By mid summer, new plants will have grown in to look like a lush garden in the front of your home.  

Serena & Lily is a five year old collaboration between a fabric designer and baby boutique owner.  Their company makes striking fabrics, furniture, bedding, low VOC paint, and accessories.  The simple and pretty design aesthetic of their items is unique in a crowded marketplace.

Most interestingly, their web-site includes a "Bazaar" category in which artists' and crafts peoples' unique work is available for sale.  The one of a kind items would introduce an amazing piece into a home interior.

Here is one of the bedding combinations I love:

Serena and Lily Bedding

They offer many mix and match options that make the possible combinations almost limitless.

Many of us may consider wallpaper to be something our grandparents had on the walls in their homes.  To be sure, there have been some trendy and dated versions of wallpapers over the decades.

But with the creativity of today's print designers and a market with a wide range of design styles, wallpaper designs can be a fantastic way to customize your space just how you want it to look.

Wallpapering an entryway, master bedroom, or child's room is a great way to create visual interest and make the space unique, beyond a solid painted wall color.

Graham & Brown offers numerous options for wall coverings for purchase on-line.  Here is one of my favorites: 

17217 Linda Barker Tempting's Pink and Brown Wallpaper would make a beautiful statement in a small powder room on the first floor of a home.