You can buy see-through book shelves to fit your style and create the room separation you need.

Living spaces that include “great rooms” or combination living/dining areas are terrific for entertaining and for families, but sometimes they can appear cavernous and cold if they aren’t designed properly. And on the other end of the spectrum, a small condo or apartment needs to have delineated places for living, dining and cooking. Fortunately, in both of these situations it’s possible to use furniture and accessories to divide the space without creating permanent walls.

Back in the ’60s and ’70s, it was popular to partition a home’s entryway with a half-wall topped by pillars so you could see through to the door but still have a sense of separation. Of course that look is dated now, but the same concept remains. By using a simple partition, you can give the feel of boundaries but you don’t block off light and views.

A fireplace makes an ideal space divider.

For example, I really like to use a freestanding bookcase that is open from both sides. IKEA’s Billy line works well for this approach, or you can use a more high-end version in a variety of styles and materials. Either way, the bookcase lets in light from both sides and it provides a showcase for holding accessories and accents, such as vases, trinkets from your latest travels, books or plants.

A large screen is an obvious choice for dividing a space. Look for a screen that complements your décor but still allows light through rather than a completely opaque screen that forms a wall. Instead of anchoring the screen from wall to the other, bring it in six to nine feet so it generates its own space.

Simply installing a swivel TV can give the feel of two rooms in one.

You can also use items that can be arranged to give the impression of a wall. For instance, a group of large pots in different sizes sets space apart. I also like wide floor lamps uplighting tall bamboo plants that add texture and bring in the outdoors. If you are remodeling, consider a two-sided fireplace that gives off warmth and ambience to both sides of the room, or install a swivel TV.

As you can see, there are many ways to creatively assign your living space without giving up an overall feeling of airiness. Just be sure to think from both sides of the “wall” so you aren’t facing a beautiful view from one side of the unit and a less-than-desirable look from the other.

If we can help with any of your decorating or remodeling needs, please contact us.

A contemporary candleholder offers a compelling design by day and warm ambience in the evening.

I recently visited a potential client who had lived in her home for five years and had never hung anything on the walls. She was so concerned that she’d make a mistake that she just left them bare! Maybe your walls are needing a little love too. Even if you like what you have on your walls, rearranging or redesigning your wall décor can be a great way to freshen up your room and give it new life. Here are some tips on decorating walls to their best potential.

• Use a variety of wall art—such as framed art, mirrors and iron work—to give that blank palette some interest. Just as you wouldn’t use one fabric throughout a room, you shouldn’t hang only photographs or only paintings on your walls. One of my favorite sources for whimsical wall art is Sugarboo Designs, a creative company in Georgia making unconventional pieces that fit well with today’s styles.

Framed sayings like these from Sugarboo Designs make a fun, casual wall art option.

• Size matters. Most people hang art that is too small for the wall space. Think bigger!

• Rather than a traditional, staged photo, consider a close-up shot of a face—such as a child blowing out a dandelion—or an action shot.

• Make your own art and have fun with it! Melt crayon wax on a canvas and let the drips become your splash of color for the space. Or have your kids make painted handprints on the wall in their playroom.

• Offer one consistent element for whatever pieces you choose. For example, if you are using a combination of contemporary paintings and photos, use black frames to tie the items together. Or perhaps your theme is landscape, in which case you might have landscape art and photos with different frames but similar content.

• Silly sayings (“Be good but if you can’t be good, be careful” or “Kindly refrain from whining”) are fun to hang on the wall in a casual family room, child’s bedroom or even a laundry room.

Recycled bike wheels with mirrors added to them create unexpected wall art.

• Don’t get stuck thinking frames are the only things that hang on walls. Any collection that is hangable works for a wall, so look for your unique statement. Rustic doorknockers offer a foyer an unexpected design, while old hubcaps make perfect wall art for a man cave.

• Still not sure what to do with that blank wall? Add wallpaper or tile—and you’re done!

If you need help with wall art—or any of your design needs—please contact us.

A variety of natural, soft and textured accessories gives this room a balanced look.

You’ve probably heard a designer say that the most pleasing room to the eye is one that incorporates a variety of textures and finishes – and it’s true. In every room, you should try to include items that are shiny, flat, textured and natural. You should also vary the height and placement of accessories, layering some as you go along.

My own home is very neutral, but it includes all of those characteristics so it’s interesting and comfortable. Here are some examples of how I’ve achieved that:

• For bits of nature, I placed pieces of coral around my living room.

• The coral also works for texture but in addition to that I hung flat baskets on a wall to bring more texture.

• Shining silver candlesticks provide the shine, as does a silver tray that holds colorful magazines.

• Stacked design books (layers) are also on the table, topped by a candle.

• Nearby is a glass cloche with antique postcards.

• Two small oil seascapes sit on silver stands, one on the buffet and the other on an end table by the sofa.

Texture and height give an otherwise bland room some design pizzazz.

• Throws add softness to the sitting area.

I also mixed styles in the room. An antique buffet in dark wood tones serves as my media center, while my coffee table has a contemporary metal base and glass top.

The idea is to include a counter-effect for everything you use. If you have several shiny items, for example, include several flat (matte) items. If you have hard surfaces, blend soft upholstered surfaces too.

No matter what style you are doing – whether it’s transitional, French or super-modern – you should strive to include as many of these styles as possible. Not only does it give your room more depth, it makes it less predictable and more attractive.

If we can help you accessorize your home, or with any of your design needs, please contact us.

Shiny and sparkly accessories provide the "glam" in vintage glam.

My favorite design style is “vintage glam,” which combines vintage items with the glamour of bright fabrics and/or shiny accessories. Instead of pairing vintage with the more traditional French country look, which creates a shabby chic feel, vintage glam uses a modern approach.

I recently decorated for a client who also loves vintage glam. Her overall taste leans toward furnishings you might find at Z Gallerie. Yet she also appreciates French provincial with its frills and florals.

The wallpaper was my inspiration for this room (see photo above) since it was bursting with yellow and chocolate brown – not what you would typically find in a French design because these colors would be too bright and deep. But with vintage glam you can get away with that combination.

My first selection for the room’s furniture was the gray velvet sofa – contemporary in its lines, but with the curved arms and tufting, and in that luxurious fabric. To bring in the more rustic French side of the room, I added a reclaimed wood coffee table with iron legs. We went for more of the glam side in the accessories, such as the gold-mirrored accent table.

A mirrored coffee table gives this space its glam effect.

Another home I decorated used a touch of vintage glam in their family room’s color palette. While the sofa was gray and cream, we paired it with a bright blue ottoman. This allowed us to feature some of the homeowner’s vintage accessories without the room becoming dated or too traditional.

Vintage glam is a rather unique style that’s not for everyone. Especially in San Diego, where homes are more Spanish or Mediterranean, the design can be difficult to achieve without a complete renovation, removing flooring and other details. So if you’d like to give vintage glam a try or feature it in a smaller part of your home, I recommend painting your bedroom a soft blue, adding a few mirrored nightstands and then choosing an all-white or soft-color bedding. Hang a small chandelier and place a few sparkly accessories around the room, and you have vintage glam!

If we can help transform your home into vintage glam or assist in any of your design needs, please contact us.

Asian Eclectic style results in an exotic, distinctive space.

Being in San Diego we talk a lot about coastal and Mediterranean design styles, but Asian is more rare. I’ve recently had the opportunity to assist two different clients with incorporating Asian design into their homes, and it’s given me a new appreciation for this exotic look that some people call “Asian Eclectic.”

One of those clients just moved into a Spanish house with an extensive collection of beautiful Asian accessories purchased for a previous home. So I was charged with trying to blend those pieces with the home’s architectural style. Our first task was deciding which of the client’s Asian items were absolutes for the house and which could be set aside. For example, her master bedroom nightstands were particularly Asian in style and would have been too prominent to blend well. But her other bedroom furniture – such as her black rattan chairs – were less so, and we were able to incorporate those into a gorgeous ink-blue palette with cream and paprika accents. Carved wood nightstands and bench add to the look. Her three-foot-by-six-foot gold-lacquered panels provide another dramatic Asian influence on one wall.

What I found is that the room could successfully combine diverse styles if I allowed some pieces to relate to each other, such as the woods. We clearly kept several of the Asian pieces, but then we balanced them with Spanish touches, such as tile work around the bedroom’s fireplace and an iron chandelier and sconce in the sitting area. The overall effect is reminiscent of Moroccan, which tends to bring a variety of cultural themes together in one space.

My other client just moved here from Seattle and brought along a beloved collection of Asian art and artifacts that have been passed down through her family generations. Her furniture, however, is more transitional and not Asian, such as her Ethan Allen sectional sofa. So to create a balanced space where the homeowner’s Asian pieces could shine, we chose a neutral yet warm color scheme. Floors for the main living area were darkened from light maple to a rich brown, and grasscloth wallpaper was hung on most walls to give a textural accent. Light wall colors allow the distinctive statues and large Buddhas to take center stage without being overwhelming since the background is so simple. I liken it to a spa feel – striking, but in a livable way that complements the art.

By mixing different textures with Asian pieces, everything in the room is complementary.

I’ll admit when we began both of these projects I was concerned about how we could integrate Asian pieces into rooms that lent themselves to other styles. But as we moved forward, I saw again how the right combination not only makes an eclectic style “work,” but it gives the homeowner a strikingly unique space. I love these rooms and how they turned out, as do the clients.

If we can help you integrate Asian influences into your design – or with any of your redecorating needs – please contact us

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This whimsical table lamp adds light and color to a casual room.

It’s that time of year again—this weekend we turn back our clocks and get ready for darkness. Well, that sounds a little gloomy, but if your family is like mine, the winter months are a bit of a downer because we enjoy being at the beach and doing outdoorsy things, which is difficult to do when it gets dark at 4:30 in the afternoon.

The good news is it’s time to turn on the lights! Yes, the silver lining of those early nights is we get to showcase our lamps, pendants and chandeliers. And if you’ve been to decorator shows or stores like Restoration Hardware lately, you know lighting has taken a fun and crazy turn. I’ve even gone a little wild with the lights I’ve chosen for my own home remodel (more on that in another blog post). They’re funky—and I love them!

Some of the new lighting you might see are fixtures with pulleys and upside-down baskets. Chandeliers have gone from traditional to everything-goes—including pillar candles, orbs and even birdcages (no Tweeties allowed, though!). Kitchens are getting metal pendants with chalkboards on them that you can write on. Meanwhile, table lamps have unusual stands, such as tripods or vintage bottles.

Inspired by the work of 19th-century experimental physicist Léon Foucault, this Twin-Orb Iron Chandelier is reminiscent of a gyroscope.

Now, don’t get so caught up in these cool fixtures that you forget their purpose, and that is to light your rooms so you can see, especially on these darker days. Keep in mind how many watts your circuits can handle as you purchase lighting. It’s best to go as bright as you can and install dimmer switches that allow you to set the mood you want.

Many California tract homes don’t have ceiling lights, so consider adding recessed lighting, especially in your family room and hallways. It can be an unwanted expense to install new lighting but it also might encourage you to use a room more if you have better visibility in it.

Once you have good overall lighting, use table lamps and floor lamps as accents. Also incorporate chandeliers, perhaps in unexpected places such as your powder room or a nursery.

The bottom line is you really can’t have enough lighting. If you layer it by installing ceiling fixtures and then scattering decorative smaller lamps, the effect will enhance your home as well as make it more useful. Until our all-day sunshine returns in a few months! Please contact us at Style on a Shoestring if we can help with lighting or any of your decorating needs.

Well, maybe not quite famous but our work was chosen to be featured on the website Houzz.com. This is one of our favorite design websites because it features pictures and ideas from a wide range of designers and homeowners. It’s really a great place to get fresh looks and inspiration for your home.

Houzz (click here for the post) chose a warm dining room we designed to include in their story about mirrors. We’ve talked before on this blog about how to make a small space feel large, and adding a mirror is a terrific way to do that. As you can see from this dining room (above, and fourth photo down in the story), a narrow room suddenly feels much larger because of all the reflection happening between the mirror, the windows and the door. Rather than feeling boxed in, you get a light, airy sense — even with gorgeous, chunky furniture and two dramatic chandeliers taking up much of the space.

Some of the other designers in the article used mirrors in even more demanding ways, such as the top photo with the large, propped mirror or the mirrored wall in the second photo. We like the two framed mirrors in the photo below ours that work together to create a fun feel along with that fantastic chandelier and clear seating. You’re not likely to run into a copycat dining room at your next dinner party if you adopt a look like that!

Please contact us at Style on a Shoestring if we can help you incorporate a mirror into your small space, or help with any of your design needs.

Potted palms add drama and height to this beautiful music room.

We recently worked with a client on a condo remodel where we used live plants to add some warmth to the space. I’m not talking about creating a jungle of plants or making it like a garden center – just a few pots here and there.

And I have to say, the effect was really stunning.

But the client didn’t care for it, so he removed the plants. Once they were taken away, the rooms felt extremely bare to me. Seeing the difference made me realize just how important plants can be to interior design.

One of the things people always say when I suggest plants is “Oh, I have a horrible green thumb.” Well, guess what? You don’t need to worry about what color your thumbs are because we have a terrific plant company that does all the work for you.

Interior Plant Service comes to your home and assesses which plants will work in certain areas. Not enough light in some rooms? They have plants for that. Worried about remembering to water your plants? They have a system for that too. Wondering how to avoid plants that shed leaves or flowers? They are experts on that.

A combination of a few large and small plants gives the room warmth with little maintenance required.

When you add plants this way, you aren’t just selecting what looks pretty – only to see it die later. Instead, you are bringing in plants that fit perfectly in your home’s environment and appeal to your lifestyle. They warm up empty spaces, add brightness via colorful pots and bring the outside in.

We’re using plants in every remodel we do now at Style on a Shoestring. Please contact us if we can help you design plants into your home or if you need assistance with any interior needs.

This Sophia arm chair offers plush seating in a golden brown and black animal print.

Yes, we’ve opened our own store! I am so excited today to tell you about our newest project at Style on a Shoestring, which we are calling “The Style Marketplace.”

One of the questions we hear most often from clients is “Where did you get that?” Whether it’s a sleek chair, an interesting piece of art or even a simple lamp, people always want to know how we find the items we bring to beautify their homes.

But since we often use suppliers that don’t sell direct to the public, we haven’t been able to share those sources with you. Until now.

The Alisa lamp is a real attention-getter.

At The Style Marketplace (www.thestylemarketplace.com) you can shop for and buy all of those interesting pieces of furniture and accessories that add creative detail to your home. Unlike other design websites, The Style Marketplace offers unique items you won’t find often, and at affordable prices. Plus you can browse the site at your leisure and have your purchases shipped directly to your home. The site includes all types of styles and looks, from contemporary to French to everything in between. We will continue to add stock to this online boutique, so you’ll want to stop by often to see what’s new.

The Style Marketplace is open today – and we never close!