interior designer Archives

I’m an interior designer – three things I would never do in my kitchen, including the ‘cluttery’ place to put decor

August 1, 2023 Maria J. Glover

FURNITURE

AN interior designer shared three mistakes that she would personally never do.

She said she would never be caught dead putting decor in a “cluttery” place.

Taylee, an interior designer, shared three things she would never doCredit: TikTok/spacesbytay

Taylee Hawkins (@spacesbytay) shared the interior advice with her TikTok followers.

“I would never leave hardware off of fake drawers,” she said.

“I just think it looks better to have hardware on all of your drawers in your kitchens,” she explained.

Moving deeper into the kitchen, she explained that she would be careful with the placement of appliances.

“I would never do two full double ovens with a microwave on top,” she said.

“Just because your microwave gets too high to where you can’t reach it.”

Last but not least, her final tip warned against making a space look too cluttery.

“I would never put decorations above my cabinets just because I think it looks cluttery,” she said.

People took to the comments to share their thoughts.

“Love it!! But won’t it get dusty above the cabinets? What do you suggest to do instead?” asked one commenter.

“You could always take the cabinets up to the ceiling,” Taylee replied.

“It’s harder to clean when there is decor up there so leaving it plain is easier!”

“Am sooo happy I saw this video, I just moved in my first house at 21 and didn’t know if I should put stuff on top of my cupboards!” said another.

“Thanks for the tip.”

She explained that placing decor on top of cabinets could make the space look clutteryCredit: TikTok/spacesbytay

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I’m an interior designer – an ‘outdated’ decor style that makes your home look like an AMC, it’s disgusting

July 28, 2023 Maria J. Glover

HOME DECOR

AN interior designer has revealed three decor choices that don’t do your home justice.

He said one particular outdated style makes a space look like an AMC movie theatre.

Bilal, an interior designer, joked that taxidermy is not a cute look in the home

Bilal Rehman (@bilalrehmanstudio) shared the advice with over 480,000 TikTok followers.

“Three things making your house ugly as f**k,” the interior designer emphasized.

“Taxidermy, I don’t know who thought of this and I can only imagine their thought process but trust me when I say your baby Peaches does not need to suffer in her afterlife,” he joked.

Right after dead animals on your walls, the expert believed that popcorn ceilings were a no-go.

“I didn’t know you lived in AMC,” he said.

“Not only are they outdated but if you’re an allergy-sensitive b***h like me, they’re disgusting and the worst for your allergies,” he explained.

Last but not least, Rehman got the ick from inflatable furniture.

“Last time I checked, you’re not in a frat house,” he said.

“If you’re old enough to have bills, you’re old enough to have some real furniture.”

People took to the comments to share their thoughts on his take.

“Popcorn ceilings often contain asbestos so guys please don’t remove it yourself without someone qualified to check it!” said one commenter.

“You are hilarious and I love it,” said another.

The expert said that popcorn ceilings were not only 'outdated' but also made a space look like a movie theatre — The expert said that popcorn ceilings were not only ‘outdated’ but also made a space look like a movie theatre

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10 Home Decor Faux Pas That Date Your Interiors, According to Designers

June 25, 2023June 25, 2023 Maria J. Glover

HOME DECOR

Some home decor trends have an expiration date. While midcentury-modern designs like sleek Eames furniture or Eero Saarinen–designed Womb chairs are back in fashion and selling big, for example, others can make homes passé. Not to mention, a home stuck in the past might actually lose some of its potential resale value. According to Eugene Colberg, principal of Colberg Architecture in Brooklyn, “Updates to a house can maximize value when placing the home on the market,” he says. “Homes are also more enjoyable to live in when they have been updated,” Colberg says.

The usual culprits, like popcorn ceilings or laminate floors, are easy to spot. But how to find the newly to-be-retired faux pas around the house? Don’t worry. AD did the work for you. Read on for a list of seven lackluster features you should refresh stat.

A tiny area rug

Area rugs in the wrong size can throw off the balance of a room.

Photo: John Keeble

Whoever coined the saying “bigger is better” might have been thinking about area rugs. “Too small of a rug can actually make the room feel smaller and out of balance,” says Nancy Evars, interior designer and founder of Evars Collective, a boutique showroom in California’s Bay Area. Sure, smaller rugs had their heyday as recently as the 1970s—when wool rugs crafted by handloom suddenly made a comeback—but really, the decor was more popular in prior centuries, when mass-produced textiles just weren’t a thing. Today, area rugs are meant to pull together an entire room, and in the living room that means having all the furniture on the rug, “or at least the front legs of the sofa,” Evars says.

An easy fix is setting more than just the coffee table on the rug. “Furnishings should fan out from

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The Hipstoric Home Decor Trend Blends Vintage Pieces with Modern Style

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 Maria J. Glover

HOME DECOR

An interior designer shares her best tips for seamlessly adding vintage finds to a modern space.

A fusion of the words ‘hip’ and ‘historic,’ the newly coined ‘hipstoric’ home decor trend is set to dominate in 2023, according to interior designers and the experts at Pinterest. Consumers are casting mass-produced pieces aside in favor of reimagined antiques and vintage finds. Combining old with new, this popular eclectic aesthetic is an easy way to add a unique and personal touch to the home and infuse it with a sense of nostalgia.

“I like rooms to feel like they’ve evolved over time and that they have a little history, character, and soul,” says Charleston-based interior designer Alaina Michelle Ralph. Ralph is constantly navigating the dialogue between vintage and modern, driven by her client’s desire for personality while respecting the narrative set by the space itself. As she says, “there’s a spot for vintage in every room.”

Decorating with vintage pieces is an easy way to showcase your unique style, but it’s also one of the more sustainable decor trends. “People are more conscious about fast fashion and inexpensive furniture that ends up in landfills,” Ralph says. “Old furniture stands the test of time. If you can find a piece of furniture that is 100 years old and still sturdy, it’s likely to last another 100 years.”

Not only is vintage home decor durable, unique, and stylish, it’s also less harmful to the planet and often your bank balance, too. “Even in a consignment store, you’re likely to get a great deal on an antique piece,” Ralph explains. She also recommends scouring antique malls, thrift stores, and antique vendors for old treasures. “While antique vendors have a higher price tag, they’ve been vetted and usually fixed up a

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A new ‘Home’ for decorating ideas opens in Sutton’s Manchaug Village

August 2, 2022August 2, 2022 Maria J. Glover

HOME DECOR

SUTTON — This old stone building still has rings on its outside walls to tie a horse’s reins.

Inside, there are arches from the days when part of the building served as a Catholic church.

The building at 356 Manchaug Road has served as a market, <a href=

The building on a hill that overlooks Manchaug Village and the Blackstone River has served many purposes since it was built in the 1800s, from the aforementioned church to municipal offices and a general store.

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Today, it serves as the new home for District V House, a home design retail store.

Owner Janice Burke, who was born and raised in Worcester’s District 5, has spent most of her adult life as an interior designer. She decided to open a home decor retail site to combine her love for design and “all things home.”

“I looked all over Worcester” to find a suitable location, said Burke. After some research, she found what she was looking for — plenty of space, parking, “a really nice location.”

Jamie Burke, owner of District V House, decided to combine her experience in interior design with wares from local vendors.

History of the location

According to the Sutton Historical Society, the Manchaug Company Store Building at 356 Manchaug Road was built circa 1868 by the B. B. & R. Knight Company (the largest private cotton manufacturer in the world as reported by the New York Times in the early part of the 20th century).

A view of the center of Manchaug Village, with the store on the right.

The building at various times housed a general store and market, village library, post office, in addition to serving as a gathering and polling place.

All the rough ashlar granite used in the Manchaug building construction was quarried right in the Manchaug area off Whitins and Putnam Hill roads.

The community hall on the second floor, which seated 300, hosted

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Who is Sabrina Soto from Secret Celebrity Renovation? Interior designer all set to return to CBS’ renovation show

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022 Maria J. Glover

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Secret Celebrity Renovation Season 2 is set to air on Netflix on July 22 with 46-year-old Sabrina Soto taking the creative wheel in her hand and putting her interior design cap on. She previously appeared on the first season of the show.

When she is not helping celebrities renovate houses as part of Secret Celebrity Renovation, Sabrina Soto is a homestyle expert for Target and a licensed real estate agent who is LEED accredited. There are only 6,900 accredited interior designers worldwide.

Secret Celebrity Renovation will enable celebrities from different fields to surprise someone in a grand way. As part of the show, celebrities can secretly renovate someone’s house as a token of appreciation and love.

Joining the Secret Celebrity Renovation team this year is Nischelle Turner from Entertainment Tonight once again as host and Rob Mariano, who was previously a part of the show as a celebrity.

Sabrina Soto beyond Secret Celebrity Renovation

Sabrina Soto is a first-generation Cuban-American with a net worth of $2 million. Soto’s passion for interior design ignited while working with her mother in her decorating and home staging business.

The Secret Celebrity Renovation designer is also known for her eccentric designs and for mixing luxury with budget. On her website, she quoted her mother, who said:

“It doesn’t matter if we have one dollar or one million dollars, be proud of our home!”

Sabrina Soto is an interior designer, best-selling author, and a consultant. She is famously known as the host of The High/Low Project as well as a featured designer on HGTV.

She is also a mother who loves spending time with her daughter Olivia and treating her family to her second passion, cooking.

She first found fame after hosting shows on TLC and MTV, as well as a Yahoo!-based web

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8 things an interior designer can do for you and your remodel

July 18, 2022 Maria J. Glover

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Anyone who has ever built a home or launched a major remodeling project knows how time consuming and stressful it can be to get through planning, design and construction.

Homeowners must make hundreds of decisions, and many of them are expensive. Those not familiar with the world of construction may even feel like their contractors are speaking a different language.

A good interior designer can help with those decisions, says Houston designer Cassandra Brand of Cassandra Brand Interiors, a speaker at a recent Access Design event, co-hosted by the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Design District.

A cowhide rug stitched into a geometric print sits beneath a custom table designed by interior designer Cassandra Brand. The walls are painted Sherwin-Williams “Peppercorn.”

French Blue Photography

MORE DESIGN NEWS: Reality TV stars who remodel historic Galveston homes open a new ice cream shop on the island

Brand talked about the designer-client dynamic and how designers can be a voice for clients. She offered these eight ideas for the role a designer can play in a construction, remodeling or decorating project.

1. Represent you

Brand, like other designers, begins projects getting to know clients to understand how they use a room or a home. Knowing even small details can help with ideas for a more functional kitchen or a bathroom that has everything in the right place. When a designer can make a home reflect its owner’s personality and lifestyle, the homeowner is likely to be happier with the finished product, she said.

2. Guide decision-making

Homeowners are expected to choose flooring, wall tile, hardware, cabinets appliances and even know where they want every electrical outlet early in the construction process. That doesn’t even include the myriad decisions made about furnishings, decor and paint colors.

Brand said that she and her peers

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