Style and design trend concepts can be tailored and adopted into any industry or business.

House Thinking: A Room-by-Room Look at How We Live
by Winifred Gallagher

From Booklist: Gallagher writes fresh and nuanced interpretations of the subtler aspects of life. In her latest work of creative synthesis and interpretation, she conducts a tour like no other of the American house, excavating its fascinating history and covert psychological influences. Humans are happiest in dwellings that allow us to both nest and perch, Gallagher explains, citing Frank Lloyd Wright. To assess whether a house succeeds in providing these qualities, she performs what she calls house thinking, analyzing the ambience of each room in houses old and new, urban and suburban. To set the gold standard, she describes various architectural marvels, including Edith Wharton’s Mount (Gallagher has a particular interest in writer’s abodes), whereas on the practical side, she recounts her own home-improvement efforts. As she assesses every aspect of every room, she offers compelling observations regarding women’s lives past and present, changing family configurations, our mania for possessions, and the dominating role televisions and computers now play on the domestic scene. As Gallagher casts our houses and private lives in a revealing new light, she reinforces our perception of home as a place that merits our keenest attention. Donna Seaman – Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Personal Note: I enjoyed this book because of its approach to home as a “place of power”. As the book cover state, “it is a psychological tour of the American home.” It demonstrates a new way in which we should think about and embrace our homes… illustrating the importance that our homes and environments play in the quality of our lives. It is not a book about decorating or style but a very  unique way to look at how our homes make us feel. The copyright is 2006, but it is a book and message that continues to be relevant today, and its philosophy of home has become a growing trend in today’s challenging economic time.

Colors for Your Every Mood: Discover Your True Decorating Colors
by Leatrice Eiseman

From Library Journal: Eiseman presents a comprehensive reference for the amateur and professional to use in choosing color schemes for interior decorating. She provides ways to identify responses to color, looks at color’s use in creating a mood, and provides different settings that can help inspire color choices. The psychological, sociological, and historical meaning of each color is then detailed, as is its use in particular rooms. Highly recommended for all interior design collections and public libraries. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Personal Note: I have a passion for color and this book is an intriguing approach to color. It approaches color from the perspective of how color makes you feel. It illustrates the history as well as the personality of each color family. I think this book is essential as we embrace and tailor our homes and spaces to represent our own personal style and start to use our homes as a restorative, inspiring personal retreats.

These books can be found at Amazon.com or click on the titles above for an instant link to Amazon.com.

“Let your home be seasonal, with its colors and sights and scents revolving as the earth does through her primeval passages.”…Victoria Moran | Shelter for the Spirit

I attended the first of many autumn festivals last weekend and was inspired to begin getting my home into the autumnal spirit. It’s time to transition from the cool and breezy décor of summer and start to warm up my home with rich warm colors and texture.

We don’t have to look much farther than Mother Nature to find our decorating and entertaining cues. Nature is our perfect muse when it comes to autumnal décor.  The rich, warm colors and the rustic and imperfect textures add to the inviting, engaging and cozy style of decorating, living and entertaining that embodies this time of year.

As I browse through the books in my library and the bookstores, I’m intrigued by the number of great books on decorating, entertaining and cooking that celebrate the seasons by arranging the book in chronological and seasonal order. Using foods and elements that are seasonal gives a wonderful and fresh nod to nature that seems to be resonating with so many people today.

Celebrating the seasons allows us to observe and appreciate nature, and is a healing balm in this busy, high tech electronic world.

“The human spirit thrives on the element of nature.” … Victoria Moran |  Shelter for the Spirit

I saw these gourds at the festival and was reminded to not take life so seriously. We have so much to learn from nature… it teaches us to have a sense of humor and to embrace the whimsical, the uniqueness and one-of-a-kind qualities that we find everywhere in nature.

So, this autumn season give a nod to mother earth… gather with friends and family… and celebrate with all your senses!

For seasonal updates to your home, entertaining or business…  contact  Refresh & Rejuvenate HOME. 

“The only calendar I need is just outside my window. With eyes to see and ears to hear, nature keeps me posted.” … Alfred A. Montapert

Flamant Home Interiors: Here and Elsewhere
by Raoul Buyle (text) & Bart Van Leuven (photography)

From Amazon: Showcases the interiors of Flamant, a leading Belgian interior design company.

Personal Note: I purchased this book, at Flamant, several years ago on a trip to Paris. The cover of my book is different from the one shown on Amazon, but the ISBN number is the same. Flamant is among my favorite shops in Europe. The look is simple, quiet and serene, yet rich with warmth, character, patina and texture. The colors are complex neutrals inspired by organic, simple textures and finishes. This book is rich with quality photos, and wonderfully inspired quotes about nature and design. The book highlights the founders of Flamant… three brothers and their individual roles within the company and their home and design philosophies. A great visual treat and look into this great brand.

Kitchen Centric
by Mick De Giulio and Karen Klages Grace

From Amazon: Kitchen Centric puts a new spin on the typical kitchen design book by offering readers a book that is part art book, part fantasy, and part field guide. Internationally known kitchen designer Mick De Giulio takes readers on a guided tour through eighteen of his favorite kitchen projects in urban lofts, suburban homes, manor houses, mountain retreats, and an early twentieth-century barn. Delicious photographs roll through these kitchens, one after the next, like short films. Words are few, but critical if a bit quirky, like excerpts from De Giulio’s own designer’s journal. He takes his audience behind the scenes, explaining his challenges, his thinking, his choices, his process, and ultimately, his belief that kitchens are more central to American homes than ever before.

Personal Note: I had the honor and privilege to attend a seminar presented by these two authors at NeoCon in Chicago this past June. The presentation was enjoyable and it was a special treat to meet the authors and hear first-hand of their design philosophies. They have a quiet elegance and simplicity about themselves as well as their work. My favorite quote from the presentation was “Simplicity is the absence of things.”… Mick De Giulio. Their passion for deign and understanding of the power of design was inspirational and refreshing.

Perfect Neutrals: Color You Can Live With
by Stephanie Hoppen – photography by Luke White

From Amazon: Use color with confidence!
• Personalized decorating without the stress
• Sourcebook of product information, plus how to match and coordinate colors
• Hundreds of color photos plus swatches of paint and fabric eliminate guesswork

Think neutrals are beige, cream, taupe, white, and black? Think again. In a new world of color and design, neutrals go beyond these basics to embrace real colors that real people can live with. In Perfect Neutrals, Stephanie Hopper showcases the vast variety of new neutrals—from sage green to soft lilac, from cool silver to whispered gold. With her help, anyone can put these tones together and add accents to create dramatic effects. Rich photographs demonstrate how to balance colors, how layering works with different shades of color, how to add texture with fabric, and more. Case studies feature paint and fabrics that are widely available from such national brands as Restoration Hardware, Benjamin Moore, Farrow & Ball, and other companies. In the past, choosing just the right neutral to suit a room or a mood was hard. Perfect Neutrals makes it easy.

Personal Note: Another great addition to a reference library. It shows how vibrant and exciting neutrals can be. I especially appreciate the resource directory at the back of the book with resource credits for, paint colors, swatches, and resources. As stimulating as it is informative!

Charlotte Moss Decorates: The Art of Creating Elegant and Inspired Rooms
by Charlotte Moss

From Amazon: The interior designer’s singular vision revealed through an extraordinary collection of her acclaimed rooms. With her inimitable flair for style, Charlotte Moss has led a celebrated career in the interior design world. Recently honored with Elle Decor’s Vision Award, Moss’s design philosophy of “couture living” describes her preference for gracefully curated spaces in which one is meant to live, enjoy, and entertain. Charlotte Moss Decorates affords the reader a glimpse into the methods behind her magic. For each of the rooms featured—from a sumptuous Directoire-style bedroom inspired by the incomparable Pauline de Rothschild to a gentlemen’s billiard room with rich details and a smart tailored feel—Moss breaks down the various stages of her design process, revealing her inspiration and storyboards, as well as sketches and notes she develops for every project. In each chapter, she offers the reader quick “doses” of decorating advice with her signature “Why Not?” decorating maxims. The book also includes Moss’s recommendations for her favorite flowers and fragrances for the final flourish in creating the perfect room. Her interiors, with a nod to both the historical elegance of the past and the modern necessities of today (comfort and livability), are truly sublime spaces. With over 200 sumptuous photographs, Moss graciously invites the reader to be engaged, inspired, and “ready to decorate.”

Personal Note: I’ve enjoyed this book and found it to be a great reference book and a valued addition to my library.

These books can be found at Amazon.com or click on the titles above for an instant link to Amazon.com.

NeoCon is North America’s largest design exposition and conference for commercial interior designers, architects and design professionals. The conference also included seminars and association forums with top-notch keynote speakers.

The conference also opens your mind to the power of design – it was three days of pure energy, new thinking, new resources, and bursting with new products. I found innovative products and resources for corporate, hospitality, healthcare, retail, government, institutional and residential interiors in showrooms and from exhibitors. All sources are indicators and offer insights into upcoming houseware and homeware trends.

Areas where I concentrated my time — Accessories / Architectural Products / Building Products and Services / Carpet/Flooring / Ceiling Systems / Casegoods / Flooring / Furniture / Lighting / Stone and Ceramic Tile / Sustainable Products / Technology / Textiles / Wall Treatments.

Looking forward to the next show – NeoCon