My husband, Kevin, went out shortly before Christmas to buy my gift (a really good idea).  He had an idea what he was looking for.  But when it came down to decision time, it was far harder than he imagined.  We’ve all been there: This looks comfy, but I don’t like the color.  Will she love or hate that pattern?  Why am I stressed out over a gift?

Then sales lady asked a few questions about me.  Then she smiled and said, “This one is beautiful.  And, it has this feature that makes it so comfortable.  She’ll love it.”

Wow.  The relief.  Buying presents was fun again.

We so want to help make creating your room fun again.  Sure, a room is more complicated than other decisions.  That’s why we sketch, do floor plans, try hundreds of fabrics and look through catalogs.  We’ll try to understand those crucial questions.  But we’ll also try our hardest to remove the stress and worry… and add back the laughter and fun.

Bonita

I love the Christmas season but am always ready to get everything put away and get new things out for the winter season.

Marlene Warren, our merchandise manager here at by Design, has been working her miracles here at the store.  New merchandise has been arriving all month and she is making everything look so great.

In our black and white room, she painted horizontal black and white stripes.  They look terrific!!!  We are going to update the room and put green in to liven it up!  Black and white is ALWAYS great.  It is somehow both timeless and trendy (sounds impossible, but it’s true).  But wait till you see it with a splash of green.  It will be so much fun!  Just a thought for any of you looking for some freshness — add a new accent color to change the entire feel of a room.  New pillows, artwork, ottoman, a new chair!  This is where we shine at by Design.

We would love to help you!

Bonita

You might think that commercial interior design has to be boring cubes, boring commercial carpet & boring fabrics.  You would be wrong.  A fun customer makes all the difference.  Here are a few snaps from a project Victoria did for Performance Marketing here in Des Moines.  Its a great combination of warm and comfortable yet irreverent and creative.  But never boring.

Victoria chose the Cole chairs and the Ginger ottoman, then tied the group together with a wonderful rug.

Click on any of the images below, then page through the larger images:

This is what we love to do!!

A client came back into by Design.  She had bought a really (really, really) cool table from us — but it just wasn’t complete.  So we played.  We found a wonderful mirror.  We thought it needed some sparkle, so we added a lamp and some other accessories!  It was so fun!  Fun for her and definitely, fun for me!  We love what we do here at by Design!!!

Thanks, Melissa and Rachel!

Bonita

Click on the graph to better read our pithy & insightful comments!

No, really, we know this stuff is boring, but whoa… these cotton prices are really going crazy.

So our wonderful customers are in for some shell-shock in the very near future.  And that concerns us.

Just saying.

By the way, the numbers are from Woldfram Alpha search engine.  Just enter cotton price trends.

Laura recently contributed to a feature in dsm Magazine

“Freshening up a home’s look is no problem for those with a hefty decorating budget. But top designers know that a lot of small, relatively inexpensive changes can transform a tired, dated space into an attractive and inviting environment that renews your enthusiasm for your home.”

here’s the full article:  Small Changes, Big Impact

On a recent visit to Key West, it became evident to me why nature-inspired color schemes make sense.  Our emotions are effected by the landscape around us.  As I look at the brilliant turquoise blue-tones of the ocean, I am calmed.

I have always liked to decorate in shades of blue in my own home.  Since I consider my home…”my retreat”, these colors feel especially comfortable around me.  Whether it is purpley blues combined with the warm tones of a sunset or a bright sky blue with the silhouette of spring green buds… all are reminiscent of a calm, beautiful surrounding.

Couldn’t we all use a little more “calm” in our lives?  I know with a husband and three busy kids….I could!

Laura