Living in Virginia we are blessed to be able to experience each season to its fullest. We are now amidst the beautiful colors of autumn, enjoying the backdrop of yellow, orange, red and green. These basic colors seem to take on a whole new spectrum during the fall. Our natural environment assumes hues of amber, butterscotch, pumpkin, salmon, rust, scarlet, chartreuse, forest green, plum and eggplant, just to name a few. As we head into the holiday season, many of us are thinking about decorating our homes for Thanksgiving. With a variety of places to find decorative accents for your home, the…

Have you ever stayed overnight in someone’s home or in a hotel and found yourself wishing your own bedroom was just as inviting? To have a guest express that sentiment is one of the greatest compliments to your skills as a host or hostess. The most essential factor when hosting overnight guests is comfort. Ask yourself if the space you have created would captivate your guest’s desire to return. Spend a night in that room. Will your guests leave your home feeling exhausted with the feeling they have somehow imposed themselves upon you, or leave well-rested feeling you thoughtfully planned …

How many times have we heard the saying, “beauty is only skin deep.  It’s what’s inside that matters most”?  This could also be said of furniture, particularly upholstered pieces.  When you desire a fresh look and you are deciding whether to recover, re-upholster or buy a new piece of furniture, there are several factors to consider.  First, let’s define the upholstery terms of recovering versus re-upholstering.  When a piece only requires a change in exterior fabric, it is considered recovering.  When repair such as retying springs, re-stuffing, re-wrapping cushions or making the frame …

There’s something about summer that gives us a sense of extra time and a bit of a slower pace which lends itself to impromptu entertaining.   This summer, consider selecting a handful of friends you don’t see as often and inviting them over to enjoy some food, drink and shared updates on “How I’ve spent my summer.” Creating an inviting atmosphere for your party need not be elaborate, but a few special touches will add to the fun.  From the initial invitation, to the space planning of your entertainment area, down to your party decor and of course, the presentation of refreshments, we have a …