| This week, I’m sharing a recipe for delicious black bean meatballs. They’re versatile enough to eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner and of course they’re great for snacking, right out of the fridge. Oh wait, that’s next week. Today I’m waxing poetic on all I know about interior design, which should take all of 45 seconds. |
A LITTLE COLOUR NEVER HURT ANYBODY There seems to be a cultural bias against colour lately. I ask you, how hard is it to decorate in 50 Shades of White? We dismiss colour as childish and frivolous, prizing neutral hues as a mark of coolness and mature taste. That belief has left us in a place where we feel almost ashamed to have colour in our lives. Can I get a ‘Hallelu’ here? Yes, you can picture it now. You’ve seen it all before. The trio of white shiplap, neutral tiles, and a non-noticeable paint hue. A beige bucket on a beach. A port-manteau of grey, beige and white. Flipper gray on the rest. Essentially as vibrant as a bowl of cold porridge. All scheduled to appeal to the largest swath of anybody who might buy your house within the next 25 years. Even if you are a bit of a chromophobic, you can incorporate small pops of colour to energize a room, like: a couple of throw pillows, a vase, a piece of art. They become little gifts— small infusions of warmth and life. And it’s truly amazing what a lick of paint can do to a space. A pop of color can seemingly transform a space overnight. (Or however long it takes for the paint to dry.)Although a colour scheme based on mottled liver is probably not the best choice.  BUY THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD In the long run, it’s more economically savvy and sustainable to buy the expensive item once rather than opt for the budget-friendly finds and replace them every few years. So if it’s possible to wait a bit, you’re better off saving up for a durable and beautifully designed piece that will last. Find a piece you love, save up, take the plunge, and then build the room around it.(It also can help to binge-watch decorating shows and download apps, as long as they never mention astrological signs.) By the way, you are free to share this information with anyone ahead of you in the Starbucks line as long as I get credit for it. DON’T FOLLOW TRENDS Trends come and go. So take a break from Instagram. Instead, sit down and ask yourself, What do I really love? Make design choices based on your personal aesthetic. If you decorate with items you love – or that your interior designer loves – your space will stand the test of time. I mean, life is just better with poms-poms.  TOSS TCHOTCHKES We often make the mistake of buying lots of inexpensive, small accents like those litle ceramic sombreros that you were conned into buying on the beach in Cancun. It might seem counterintuitive, but it’s far more financially savvy to invest in one statement (and, yes, possibly expensive) accent instead.The end goal isn’t just to own more stuff. The end goal is to live a satisfied, deep, and more intentional life focused on things that actually matter – like gaining more TikTok followers. .  LAST WORDS OF WISDOM Always have a vase of fresh flowers somewhere in your home next to a glass of wine – and don’t worry about the budget. It will sort itself out in a few years.Secondly, Coco Chanel said it best: Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off. The same can be said for your home—and clearly, your closet.And no matter what, always wear stretchy pants with an elastic waist. In preparation for the black bean meatballs you are going to make next week. .  We now return to our regular programming. |
The Best Decorating Tips You Ever Learned From Your Interior Decorator
May 30, 2022 by
I never met a pantry that I couldn’t organize
March 17, 2022 by
| I never met a pantry I couldn’t organize. |
| There are some things that some of us only do every 25 years. Attend our high school reunion, traverse an IKEA store without buying something, and organizing a pantry. These are just simply facts. It goes without saying that pantries, especially a walk-in, is a great selling feature and often high on a buyer’s wish list. And if there’s one thing we learned from watching dandruff shampoo commercials, it’s that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Sellers like to believe that buyers will stick to the main rooms of the house during a showing. In reality, potential buyers can, and will, look everywhere. They’re not afraid to look in closets, basement storage, and in pantries. I know, I know. Organizing a pantry is as pleasant and relaxed as cleaning a polar bear’s teeth. But going from disorganized to dapper is the next level up. It’s so worth it! Purge The less in the pantry, the more spacious and organized it will appear. Go through everything and toss anything that is expired, not needed or wanted. While on the market, purchase the minimum, so it doesn’t get overstuffed. Clear the floor If there is not enough space, store large items in another area of the home to make the pantry look spacious, open and organized. The prime goal is to show lots of storage, so convenience may have to be sacrificed for the short haul. Categorize Store similar items with similar items, with everything functionally accessible. Bring items, boxes, cans, and containers to the front of each shelf. Face the labels forward. Switch out containers Streamline and organize the pantry by transfering food items such as teas, pastas, spices, snacks, and baking ingredients, etc. into matching storage containers. |
You really need 7 spatulas?
March 12, 2022 by
| Contents may have shifted during flight. Soon it will be the first day of spring. Or, as it’s called in Canada, the middle of winter. Traditionally it brings a ritual biological imperative – spring cleaning – an unconscious, collective movement, literally. If you have lived on this planet as an adult for more than two decades, then it is highly probable that you may have quite the accumulation. Nowadays people are bit more aware of how much stuff they have, because it is beginning to be a bit of a social stigma if you have a lot of stuff. Over the years “organized” seems to be my most defining characteristic, like I was a minor celebrity with this one claim to fame. I am rarely asked about my knowledge of eighteenth century Hungarian royalty. Which, frankly, is a shame. Clutter makes us crazy and causes free-floating anxiety (which someone said was the only thing floating around free anymore). But for many of us, we might as well have been told to march outside and hang a new garage door, rather than discard anything. Our rooms (and storage) should look like we just stepped out for Mexican food and will be back to our lovely, organized life momentarily. Okay, I can hear the chortling now…you don’t like Mexican food, so that’s not gonna happen. Besides, we don’t want to be one of those houses where a friend walks in off the street and says, “Oh my God! I’m so sorry! I seem to be in somebody’s basement!” We can get so used to certain luxuries that we start to think they are necessities, but when we have to forgo them, we often come to see that we don’t need them after all. There’s a big difference between needing things and wanting things. But what I beleive is called for now, in a much deeper way, is to ask ourselves what it really means to live a life that is not defined by things. Let’s call it “smalling up.” Smalling up is figuring out what you really need to feel contented and grounded. For example, I have a friend who drives an old beat-up, raggedy car, but she will scrimp and save to buy a piece of art because art is what really matters to her. She smalled up. What matters is whether it’s just enough (and not too much) for us. We must determine our own list of “must-haves”, then narrow our stuff down to match it. Feeling a constant urge to upgrade our gadgets and acquire the latest models deprives us of the rich experience of being content with what we have and tuning into the present moments of our lives. By simply entertaining the idea that what we have is enough, we begin to quiet thoughts that lead to the pursuit of the extraneous and wasteful. In that sense, it’s just as important to continue defining who we are, as to continue eliminating who we are not. |
| THE 6 R’S REDUCE waste REPAIR rather than replace REFILL where you can REDUCE the amount of stuff that you buy REFUSE extra packaging or any packaging RECALIBRATE expectations |
| The first step in the de-cluttering process is to wear loose, comfortable pants that do not have an opinion on your value as a human being. Secondly, the best way to get rid of things you don’t need is to get rid of things you don’t need. I know, I know, you’d rather stick needles into your eyes. Dispose or donate anything that is cloned or used. For instance, is there a new blender, but you keep the old one just in case you think you might need it someday? Is there pottery going back to the Roman Conquest? Or why do you still have the bundt pan that emerges from the cupboard once a year to ruin a perfectly good cake. Think of that Japanese decluttering trend where you hold each thing you own and throw it out if it doesn’t give you joy. Just not the vegetables and heating bill. Finally, if you can pass the job onto someone else, I’d recommend it. I mean, once you start overachieving, people expect things from you. |
| QUESTIONS TO ASK: Does this item support current values and priorities? Does this item fit in with the vision for my ideal home? Could this item be useful/helpful for another person? Would I buy this item for full price today? Would it impact my daily life not to have this item? Is this item really worth the space it’s taking up? Is this item adding value to my life? |
| All in all, de-cluttering is an excellent investment of your time and some elbow grease, along with a few well-chosen containers, so at the end you can be happy in the knowledge that the day had been a day of purpose. |
No Fake Turkeys on the Table
March 4, 2022 by
| “No animal should ever jump up on the dining room furniture unless absolutely certain that he can hold his own in the conversation.”- Fran Lebowitz |
| While there are certain design faux pas we hate to see, there are rules you can break if required. One such decorating “no-no” is pushing the dining or kitchen room table against a wall, but sometimes for saleability, practicality, and pure spacial reasons, we have to compromise.Yes, it may mean sacrificing a seat or two, but doing so can actually lend a more intimate feel to the room—as well as freeing up much needed space. Remember, you should be able to have two people walk past side by side. In other words, at least 36″ for a traffic path. |
First rule of thumb: The table ALWAYS has to be centered under the light fixture.You have no idea the hundreds of times I have had to correct this. |
Space Saving Trick If space is limited, remove the two end chairs and place them on either side instead, as shown below. |
 Number of Chairs: Dining room tables should have a minimum of 6 chairs unless it’s a large room, whereas 8 or more chairs are appropriate. Kitchens should have a minimum of 4, but 2 will suffice if the kitchen is small. |
Now please, please, do not set out place mats and china, or slap a fake turkey on a silver tray, That is so ’80’s. Unless of course, the realtor is going to stay for dinner. Just make sure it’s a real turkey, The turkey, not the realtor. |
And no tablecloths. No matter how bad the table top looks, it only distracts and makes the table looks visually heavy. Some sellers think they need a tablecloth to hide their scarred or stained table. If the table’s flaws are big enough to be seen in the pictures, the photographer can always mask them in the editing process – and the photos are what brings in the buyers. My famous line is that you aren’t selling the furniture, you are selling the house. Well, almost. |
Coming Out of the Closet
February 10, 2022 by
| A few months ago, word started getting out that I knew how to fold fitted sheets. Now I don’t know how many of you are getting up at 3 o’clock in the morning to watch the Olympics, but I do have to tell you that I feel this is truly an Olympian accomplishment. No sir-ee, my fitted sheets aren’t wound up in balls shoved in the back of the linen closet, a way-station of disarray that smells like damp dogs and looking like the back alley of the Salvation Army. Also, there are no old bowling shoes, strands of Christmas lights, or a dustpan, and I don’t have to launch an archeological dig every time I want to change my sheets or have an avalanche of linens every time I open the door, “just in case I have 100 people spend the night at once.” Yes, this achievement is designed to keep otherwise accomplished people humble. (I am prepared to wave off compliments on my Olympian skill.) |
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Which brings me to help you stage a Linen Closet Intervention. Now this is where the soap meets the washcloth. Some may feel that organizing a linen closet is as pleasant as cleaning a polar bear’s teeth, and also a chance that some of this could be disappointing…nevertheless, here it is. |
| 1. Let It GoFirst, take everything out of the closet.Then sort and retire the mis-matched sheets, worn-out facecloths, and any ratty beach towels that go back to the Roman conquest. 2. EditGroup like items together. Limit yourself to 2 or 3 sets of sheets and towels per bedroom.Guest rooms should have 2 sets of sheets, towels, extra pillows and a blanket. 3. FoldFold items so no raw edges show.Treat the closet like a bookcase by bringing items to the front of the shelf.Fold items so they take up the entire depth of the shelf to allow for maximum storage. This may involve folding a towel in thirds one-way, and then in half. Lay out each size and see what works best.Stack towels and sheets by colour.Eliminate visual noise by sticking to neutral colours if possible, such as white, crème, grey or beige. |
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4. StyleUse glass or opaque canisters and bins for storing small items, using matching and same-size containers, so it looks straight out of a Martha Stewart magazine.If there is a shortness of storage space, the closet may also be home to cleaning products and extra toiletries.For toilet paper, remove the plastic wrapping and stack neatly in rows.Corral small items such as bottles and supplies into plastic containers. |
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5. Consistency Keep sheets folded together in sets, bath-sized towels together, hand towels together, and washcloths together or in a basket. |
Now go for Gold! |
Grilled Cheese at Four in the Morning
January 14, 2022 by
It’s early evening, lengthened by the inky, sooty dark of winter. What has happened to this day? A day that goes like every other day, and the days after that.
I’m tired. Not as in “I’m so sick and tired” (though, in a way, I guess that may be true, too). But tired. Like, I want to go to bed right now sort of tired. Is it the early dark? COVID-Somnia, bound in tormented seclusion? The waiting?
The waiting. For what exactly? That one day the morning news will wake us with the announcement that we can go back to the time before our lives were upended? That the past two years was just a bad dream, a blimp in the earth’s timeline, a test?
Falling asleep is not the problem. It’s the middle of the night wake-ups. Why can’t I sleep through the night? And while we’re at it, what on earth is happening to my hair?!
Should I read? Put socks into pairs? Make a grilled cheese sandwich? Or run through every boneheaded relationship I have made over the last seventy-two decades, which some might call “disturbing to others.”
Now here’s the real kick in the pajama bottoms: the circadian rhythm front. My extensive 3 AM research tells me that as we age, it is “normal” that as we get older, we don’t sleep as long or sleep through the night without waking. Not encouraging.
Yea, the clock is ticking, literally, and sticking my head in the sheets is not an option.
I am good friends with my bed. I do my best work in bed, and I mean that in the warmest way. But I prefer if not being between the hours of 2 AM and 5. But there it is, and yes, that is exactly the time it is right now. (I also can hear you mutter -“my best work?”)
And yes, I know, my research also told me that you should only be using the bed for sleep and another fun activity that has a useful sedative effect.
Believe me, I lay awake at night thinking about this.
But this eternal waiting…
I walk, wandering around like a lost specter. It’s easy to feel discombobulated in the ubiquitous and now undramatic term “social distancing”. This now new routine social distancing and self-isolation has robbed us of our agency, and is starting to feel like little more than inconvenience giving others wide berth, but walking is as close to a magic pill that I have. It’s given me time to reflect on my life choices, and the rest, of my life. You know what they say about exercise and endorphins and not shooting your partner.
We have discovered that we are on extended city breaks, very extended – in our own postal codes, trading plane tickets and travel pamphlets for I-Pages and pedestrianism as our primary means of seeing the world and thinking about what’s in it.
Graham Greene once said that life was lived in the first 20 years and the remainder was just reflection. Again, not encouraging.
Maybe it’s hope we need the most now, especially when we aren’t feeling especially hopeful. Desmond Tutu said that if we are devoid of hope, we should then just then roll over and disappear quietly, as hope says things can, and that things will, be better.
Hope is vital for fulfillment and our well-being. To have something to look forward to when you wake up, to have a project you love doing, to have someone that really listens to you.
And to find beauty. Not beauty in Hollywood glamorous, but as a calling. Beauty is about more rounded, substantial becoming, says the late Irish poet and philosopher, John O’Donohue, “in that sense, is about an emerging fullness, a greater sense of grace and elegance, a deeper sense of depth, and also a kind of homecoming for the enriched memory of your unfolding life.”
All in all, I guess we need to give ourselves some credit. Even a small step forward is a step in the right direction. Hey, even just standing still is still standing.
Although 3 AM in bed is perhaps not the optimal moment of which to derive a true picture of reality.
All that glitters…
December 7, 2021 by
| In the faded fleece of hectic Christmas’ past, we were often found forgetting our own phone numbers, putting clean laundry in the washer, and getting in the shower with our glasses on, along with ceiling-staring and aimless scrolling. |
| Thus, as the ports ramp up to around-the clock-operations in time for us to indulge in our annual holiday buying and wrapping spree, quietly panicking as we saunder past windows stenciled with non-denominational snowflakes, blinking wreaths and angels, I would like to wax poetic about the return of brown paper packages tied up in string. |
| More often than not, typical gift wrapping paper has one life, as it’s coated with polyethylene, polypropylene, and laminates that give it that sheen; therefore non-recyclable. |
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| Use Up What You Already Have First, the best thing you can do for the planet and your bank account, is to use what you already have in your home. In other words, hold off until you’ve given out all those gift bags and boxes and rolls of wrapping paper that have lived in your cupboard for two months and a thousand years. |
| Also, there is no shame in collecting old wrapping supplies and reusing them later on – especially if you’ve been the recipient of carefully wrapped gifts complete with real ribbon and expensive paper. |
| Secondly, do not overlook the humble box. With the amount of online shopping these days, there’s a good chance you have a stash of boxes somewhere in the house, awaiting recycling pickup. Use these to pack your gifts, dressing them up with paint, twine, evergreen boughs, or fabric ribbons. |
Think High Design with Humble Materials A few creative touches added to your gift such as tying with hemp twine and adding pinecones, cedar branches, boxwood, dried oranges, or any nature-inspired treasures, is not only a beautiful creative package to give away, but one which has the environment foremost in mind. |
| So put on your Christmas Spotify playlist, grab your candy striped congestion festive chocolate peppermint candy cane holiday whipped no foam lattes minaret of whipped cream, and that’s a wrap! |
What do reindeer antlers have to do with selling a home?
October 13, 2021 by
| Most people would be distracted by a deer antler towel rack, a wagon wheel coffee table, or an octopus candelabra. It’s almost as uncomfortable as walking into your hotel room and seeing a personal item left from the previous guest. |
But de-personalizing when preparing a home for sale doesn’t mean eliminating all vestiges of life. There have been times where I have walked into a seller’s home where they have stripped shelves bare, rolled up rugs, and packed up their books; the home looking like movers are arriving any minute. #1 difference between designing an interior and staging is intention. Design is intended to reflect the style of the homeowner and is completely subjective, while staging is objective and intended to highlight architectural focal points of the home (among others), as well as creating a lifestyle experience for buyers to emotionally attach and make an offer. The priorities are very different. The goal is to make the home look and feel as if all the buyer has to do is unpack their bags. WHAT TO REMOVE: most personal photos religious items books without a spine photo albums personal information on bulletin boards bath and kitchen mats personal hygiene items |
Design lessons I learned from my dog
October 8, 2021 by
| I can’t shop at Walmart anymore. Yesterday I was at Walmart buying a large bag of Purina ONE dog food for Conan, my Wonder Dog, who weighs in at 104 lbs. I was in the check-out line when a lady behind me asked if I had a dog.What did she think I had – a hippotamus?So because in was in a long line up and had nothing better to do, I impulsively told her that no, I didn’t have a dog, but was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that it might not be the wisest thing to do, as last time I ended up in the hospital – but I did lose 30 pounds before waking up in intensive care with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and an IV in my left arm. But, I continued, it’s essentially a perfect diet. The way it works is, you load your pockets with Purina ONE Nuggets and eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete, so it’s great – as long as you add water.Now everyone within listening distance was now enthralled with my story.Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stopped to pee on a fire hydrant and a car hit me. I thought the guy behind me was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard. So Walmart won’t let me shop there anymore. |
| Speaking of dogs, mine has taught me a lot over the years about food, sleep and design. It hasn’t always been an easy road, but it has been a fortuitous one. What I’ve learned so far: |
| 1. Mattresses (naps) are worth getting excited about.Conan is a good sleeper, which is to say that he sleeps almost as much as I do. Most of it on top of me. But the moment I open one eye, he is awake, firmly aware that it was the great mattress that made for our duo Sleeping Beauty rest. My bed is, without question, the most looked forward to part of my day, other than my morning cappuccino. Not only do I sleep in it; I write, read, nap, ponder, and watch squirrels from it. All in all, I revel in it. |
| Interior design law says that you should prioritize your home furnishing dollars on 3 things: the flooring, seating and mattresses. So, mattresses. You’re probably not wearing the same clothes or driving the same car you had in university, so why are you still sleeping on the same mattress? Or a hand-me-down one? Entry-level and budget-friendly mattresses are good enough if someone is just starting out on their own, but those of us older and more established are especially worthy of an upgrade on sleep, especially if getting out of bed comes with sound effects – ours. |
| 2. Don’t turn your nose up at unorthodox combinations. I think I started adding a dollop of cottage cheese to Conan’s dog food to keep him from inhaling it so quickly that it goes down the wrong tube or somewhere it wasn’t supposed to go. It didn’t really strike me as being a weird combination — after all, he loves kibble and he loves cheese — but when I think about it, it maybe it is a bit unsavoury. But given the speed he downs his dinner, it must be rather tasty — or tasty enough. Same with interiors.They can be unorthodox. A vibe is everything. A vibe can come from the look, feel, colour, or even the people in the home. My advice is focus on the vibe, and you will automatically formulate a home and spaces you love most ardently. |
| You may think two design styles could be seen to be too far apart from each other, like Bohemian with Traditional or Scandinavian with Country. Yet with a little creative flair (and probably an indeterminate amount of vexing), it’s possible to take the best of these two ‘worlds’ and furnish your home with the styles and colours you love. The result could be stunning – free-minded with classical opulence, minimalist efficiency with warm, personal invitations. Stay open to possibilities. What ultimately matters in the end, is how your home resonates for you. And in some cases, whether there is cottage cheese in the fridge. |
| 3. Food trumps everything. Conan doesn’t like the utopian majesty of nature walks as much as he likes food. Every morning after his cottage cheese/kibble combo, he hides under the bed until I, usually having had had a follically-challenged morning as well as trying to locate my runners, shout “cappuccino”. He comes at a sprint. Such a kindred spirit. Thus I have learned that it is truly beneficial for everyone to live near a cappuccino machine. |
| 4. Sharing is overrated. When Conan was a pup, I would put out his food and walk away, reading somewhere that you aren’t supposed to make a big deal of meal time. This might have been bad advice because one day I heard, “Grrrr!”. Investigating, Conan was alone, guarding his food with his growl. They say that this behavior shouldn’t be encouraged, and I know this is at odds with my personality, but there’s something to be said for keeping your food for yourself. It’s a unsettling realization. |
| 5. Try everything once and don’t be afraid to get rid of it if you don’t like it. |
| Allow yourself the luxury of trying something and/or changing your mind. We live in a culture where one of the greatest social disgraces is not having an opinion, so we often form our “opinions” based on the face our neighbour makes or the mutterings of the person sitting next to you, without investing the time and thought to come up with our own true feelings about why we really don’t like that light fixture. Cultivate that capacity for negative capability. Just say, “No”, and take your God-given poetic license to spit it out on the floor or to donate it to Goodwill. |
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