Zitat des Tages von Candice Olson:
I'm an interior designer, first and foremost. I can do one thing really well, and I'm going to stay in my little niche.
Ask any teenage girl to describe her perfect bedroom, and you'll get answers like 'a room with a private phone line, a place to hang out with friends, and for it to be way-cool and funky.' Ask parents the same question, and 'a locked door that opens on their 21st birthday' might top the list!
Mom raised me all by herself, and although we went through our share of lean years, she always worked hard to make our home warm and welcoming.
I know it can be difficult for parents, but I really do believe that kids need to play the predominant role in the choices that go into their own space.
The type of renovation I do most often is opening a kitchen to the family room.
Why have one chandelier when you can have two?
Clients usually come to me when they want to update the look of an existing room.
A common mistake people make regarding dining rooms is to buy a matching set of table and chairs, which can be monotonous. I like to mix guest chairs in one style and head chairs in another for a more interesting, dynamic look.
I credit my mom with inspiring in me a love of design, matched by her creative problem-solving abilities. This is a woman who could find an old, discarded piece of furniture, bring it home and turn it into something fabulous.
Things have changed a lot since the earth was cooling and I was a teenage girl, but the basics of teenage bedrooms have remained the same. Every girl wants a place that they are proud to call their own and where they can express their own individuality.
I love doing kitchen renovations where we're opening up the kitchen and creating open-concept main floors. I think that's one renovation that really changes the way people live in their homes.
Dining rooms are really all about the table and the chairs.
In tight quarters, it's important to choose small-scale items.
Great French design is often about unexpected touches.
I tell people marriage is a compromise, and so are renovations.
There are a million studies that say the money you put into a kitchen and bath update you get back. That's one of those places you can't go wrong. It can be as simple as updating counters and a backsplash.
When I'm doing kitchen planning as well as bathroom design, I try to walk through the day with the homeowner. If we're talking about a kitchen, it will be: So, we are walking in with the groceries. When we are taking them out of the car, where will they go? What is the distance to fridge, to pantry?
There are designers who say, 'Oh! I see wallpaper and blue carpet.' I usually start by knocking down walls. 'You thought you just needed some new drapes? Well, guess what: That wall's gotta go.'
We don't have one of those houses where there's a rope that separates the kids' area from the adult area. There's a happy medium. It's all about fabric choices, accessories.
Strip makeup lights just don't give you a fighting chance no matter how good looking you are. Light sconces that flank the mirror illuminate your entire face evenly.
With every bathroom renovation, there are three areas that I focus on: budget, function and style.