Resources

Introducing "Seasons Change" - Elevate Your Home, Transform Your Life

I am thrilled to introduce “Seasons Change,” an exclusive interior design service offering that goes beyond a one-time makeover. This innovative program is designed to provide you with a continuous, season-by-season refresh, ensuring your home evolves harmoniously with your changing needs and the world around you.

Key Features of “Seasons Change”

1. Four Seasonal Transformations: Experience the magic of each season reflected in your home. From warm and cozy winter retreats to vibrant and airy summer spaces, I will curate unique aesthetics that capture the essence of every season.
2. Personalized Design Consultations: Kick off each season with a personalized consultation where we discuss your evolving preferences, lifestyle changes, and any specific design elements you wish to incorporate.
3. Bespoke Design Concepts: I will craft personalized design concepts tailored to the nuances of each season, ensuring your home remains a dynamic reflection of your personality and the world outside.
4. Exclusive Access to Trends and Collections: Stay ahead of the curve with access to the latest interior design trends and exclusive collections, ensuring your home is adorned with the most sought-after pieces and styles.
5. Priority Scheduling and Services: As a “Seasons Change” member, enjoy priority scheduling for consultations and services. Whether it’s a mid-season update or an urgent design dilemma, you’ll receive prompt and personalized attention.
6. Seamless Implementation: Sit back and relax as I take care of every detail. From sourcing seasonal decor to coordinating installations, we handle the entire process, ensuring a seamless transition from one season to the next.

Invest in Your Home’s Evolution

“Seasons Change” offers an introductory annual subscription for $5,000.00, making it a cost-effective investment in the ongoing evolution of your home. This all-inclusive fee covers design consultations, personalized concepts, exclusive access to trends, and priority services throughout the year.

Imagine a home that transforms with the rhythm of the seasons, reflecting your ever-changing desires and the beauty of the world around you. Embrace the opportunity to make your living space a dynamic and inspiring sanctuary.

If you’re ready to embark on this transformative journey, simply phone or text me at 978 727-5805, and we’ll schedule your first seasonal consultation. Elevate your home, transform your life with “Seasons Change.”

The Design Process – What You’ll Want to Know

When undertaking an interior design project, consider not only how you want your space to look, but also how you want it to make you feel. With that in mind, one of my jobs is to ensure my clients are left with a space that truly reflects their interests and expresses who they are.

So, after an initial Discovery Call – where we discuss both the logistics (i.e., scope and investment) and intangibles (i.e., how you want the space to make you feel) – we set a day and time for a Project Assessment Meeting. Whether we meet in person on site or virtually via a video call, we’ll further hammer out the project details. These further help me nail down a unique interior design plan tailored to each client and their wants and needs.

Prior to the Project Assessment Meeting, clients send photos, floor plans and elevations of their home to me via email. I review them and follow up with any questions via a phone conversation or video call. During our meeting, we’ll review their plans, conduct a walkthrough, and take any additional photos and information I need to initiate their project.

Also, after the Discovery Call and before the Project Assessment Meeting, I send a Welcome email with links to specific pages on my website clients will want to review in preparation for our meeting. These include:

1. Projects contains brief descriptions of work depicting a range of various project types and scopes.
2. How We Work provides an overview of the design process.
3. Determine Your Investment includes a table depicting how much clients may plan to invest per room or per full-home decorating project as a percentage of their home’s value.
4. Fee Schedule outlines a variety of ways in which I work and how I am compensated.
5. While Virtual Interior Design and Refresh and Renovate : What to Expect specifically detail either additional ways in which we can work together and/or provide you with some steps to take in preparation for your project.
6. Further, clients may learn more about me via client Testimonials and About Lance

Realizing that the thought of decorating your home may occur to you as a daunting experience, please know that I am here to help you realize your vision for your new home with ease, expertise, and care.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me if you’ve any questions about your decorating needs.

What Have I Done?

When considering how to move forward with your interior design project, look at what you’ve already done. Once you’ve set your sights on undertaking an interior design project and you understand you have more to do, document anything you have done already.

Above, for example, my client and I completed the installation of the furniture, rug, and dining area chandelier. With the “bones” of the design in place, our thoughts turned to accessorizing.

First, I implemented a neutral, minimalistic accessorizing strategy to highlight the owner’s passion for acquiring and displaying original artwork. Then I suggested bringing out the colors in his artwork – the oranges found in his fine art photographs of nature and the bright colors of the glass pieces – creating a vibrant and energetic atmosphere.

Now the space comes alive with warmth and color. My client loves how his great room reflects his interests, expresses his passions, and provides an atmosphere that he’s not only proud to call home; but, more importantly, makes him feel at home.

So, if you know “The Look” you like; but can’t, pull it together. Call me. I’m more than happy to pull it together for you.

In the meantime, be well. Stay safe. Be love. Evolve.

What Do You Want? Revisit. Review. Revive.

“When people walk through the doors of your home, who and what do you want them to see?”

With Season in Fort Lauderdale in full swing and spring just around the corner in New England, it’s the perfect time to create a plan to answer that question. And prior to planning, I look back at where I’ve been for clarity on where I head next.

As I look, I see folks returning to life as we knew it before the pandemic. And with family and friends gathering again for holidays, like Easter and Passover, and life events, like birthdays and graduations, we look around our homes, in preparation for these gatherings. And we may not like what we see.

For some, pandemic fatigue leads to introspection. For others, it’s apathy toward themselves and their homes. Yet as the veil of fatigue lifts, a weight lifts, too. Where there existed darkness, light shines. And where hope struggled to survive, faith thrives.

Speaking with clients, colleagues, and peers, I hear a shift from complacency toward meaningful, radical actions.

For example, my recent Revisit. Review. Revive. of my website reflects one outcome of these conversations. Deeply rooted desires spring to life. Long-suppressed dreams transform into reality. Indeed, I know it’s time to revisit, review and revive my entire life. How about you?

“Are you ready to dig deep to get what you really want and need out of life? Are you ready, too, to bring the transformed you into existence as the foundation – the cornerstone – of your home? When people walk through its doors, who and what do you want them to see?”

Well, if you’ve an idea, yet lack the know-how, let’s talk. Remember, I live – and love – to make a difference for you. Speak soon.

I Can See Clearly Now

2023 rolls merrily along! And liking to possess a clear vision for how my life goes each year, I create vision boards annually. These provide a roadmap for the year. How about you?

Like me, perhaps this year resonates for you as one of growth and expansion. Personally and professionally, I continue to explore how I may best serve others via interior design. I look for what motivates, involves, and rewards my deepest passions and desires. Service and reward comprise integral, yet different, parts of a balanced life. When we give, we get. And when we receive, acknowledgement exists.

So, what better way to direct your inner vision than to put it into existence via a vision board. Need help? Look no further than the internet. Myself, I use a whiteboard, cutting board, hobby knife, metal ruler, and glue stick. I also use images from magazines. Whether incorporating 3-D items from nature or 2-D images, the point remains to include items that inspire and direct us toward manifesting our life’s intentions.

In the meantime, be well. Stay safe. Be love. Evolve.

Getting in Reality

Last month we introduced how 2023 offers opportunity for all. And, in the realm of interior design we looked at the importance of being intentional about both who we be and how our homes reflect, inspire, and express our best selves.

Now it’s time to look at where we are today. Why? Well, before we can effectively fulfill on our intentions for ourselves and our homes, we must take stock of our present existence. Taking stock helps us identify the gaps between our goals and their realization. Currently, we get to consciously examine ourselves and determine what we want for the fulfillment of our lives and homes’ designs.

Whether blowing out a Juliet balcony into a full-sized deck on a summer home on Cape Cod or enclosing a porch to create a lanai in South Florida, let’s look at what it takes to get there. Beyond the obvious considerations – permits, renderings, investment, construction, decorating, etc. – also understand what the addition satisfies for you. How does it serve your life’s goals?

And if you’re concerned with “I don’t know how.” Call me. I’m glad to show you.

In the meantime, be well. Stay safe. Be love. Evolve.

2023 – The Year of the Evolution Revolution

In 2023, we find a year full of opportunity. And with the past in the past, we get to create – rather than react to – our lives. No need to “make do” with how we have been being in the world and living with our homes. Now we get to choose both how we be in 2023 and how our homes reflect, inspire and express our best selves.

I know 2023 holds great rewards for me. Since coming out of 2022, I served clients in South Florida and on Cape Cod. Further, I supported – not one, but – two different clients in Nashville, TN. Turns out the pandemic’s limitations made virtual interior design a better way to serve my clients.

So, want to leverage 2023’s Evolution Revolution? First, think about what you want you and your home to be. For example, might you, too, want to transform yourself and what home means to you? Perhaps you want to move from a traditional northeast existence to a southern farmhouse vibe. That’s exactly what I helped one client achieve in 2022. Is it “that time” for you, too?

Regardless, remember if you’re afraid you’ll get it wrong, call me. I’ll get it right…for you!

In the meantime, be well. Stay safe. Be love. Evolve.

Need a New Year’s Resolution? How About an Evolution!

“Bon Voyage! Bonjour! Au Revoir!” While my most recent clients enjoyed a maiden voyage to Paris, to celebrate Christmas in the City of Light, I got to fulfill on an intention I created just weeks ago.

I completed the install of their living room one day past four weeks of presenting the design. Yep! Settled on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and installed three days before Christmas, I’ve delivered a full room design project. Now THAT’S a New Year’s Evolution!

Now, I want your input. The “pièce de resistance” – a cocktail table – is down to three contenders. Before I decide which one fits the bill, I’m curious to see which of the three YOU would choose to go with the owner’s sofa pictured above.

With a new rug pictured below…

and a newly created framed wall behind the sofa – creating a more formal tone in an Art Deco design with a nod to the early 20th-century surrealist movement – the linchpin to the design’s success relies on the perfect cocktail table. So, which would you choose?

1

2

or

3

Looking forward to your responses!

In the meantime, be well. Stay safe. Be love. Evolve.

Storage Systems Clever Solutions for Common Problems

Solving common problems with extraordinary solutions, I enjoy the opportunity to transform the mundane into the miraculous. Seeking both storage and display spaces, I designed this handsome wall unit to meet my clients’ needs. With the television already in place, I recommended painting the wall a dark blue to add depth and interest. The dark background also makes the television screen’s images pop.

Additionally, I designed a walk-in closet with both reach-in closet rods above and stationary rods below. The large shoe cubby fills a small space next to the closet door. This same closet also includes – out of sight, perpendicular to the shoe cubby – a double set of drawers with another set of reach-in closet rods. And another wall serves to hold sets of hooks used for hanging ties and belts.

What storage problems do you need to resolve? North or south, let me – and with a generous nod to my handyman, let us – create a custom storage solution for you.

April Actions - Determining Your Design Investment

Ah…“blue skies…” Springtime arrives carrying us along on its winds of change. As the world turns and the hours of daylight grow longer, our thoughts turn to the brighter days of summer to come. As “Season” winds down in Fort Lauderdale, “Shoulder Season” in New England arrives. And though life seems to remain the same, I revel in how I get to shape it.

First, I acknowledge how thankful I am for my life. For me – don’t laugh – my appreciation begins each morning when I wake up. As I get older, “waking” occurs as the greatest gift… Next, I choose how my day unfolds. And in the world of interior design, I choose how best to serve you.

As such, I present the Interior Decorating Investment as a Percentage of Home Value Table. Now folks can see clearly how much they may want to spend on decorating.

Now that you know your investment amount, feel free to contact us to help you determine the best ways to allocate it. We look forward to assisting you.

March Magic - A Blue Mood

March Magic – A Blue Mood

I recently implemented a royal blue and neutral – ivory, beige and gray – palette for an ongoing full home design project. And this inspiration photo continues to help me refine the home’s overall look. Marrying high-end, luxury furniture with a durable, playful animal print and a more casual striped fabric creates a comfortable yet sophisticated retreat. Still the overall look emanates a relaxed vibe.

Carrying the cool, blue theme throughout this home, I similarly chose to use the color blue on statement pieces. Specifically, I chose a geometric botanical wall covering for the dining room. A patterned rug achieves an equally eye-catching look.

Finally, I also juxtaposed the warm wood tones of my clients’ poster bed with the royal blue hues of their bedding ensemble. The timelessness and easy transition of the items that comprise this look make it at home anywhere. Where this home exists in Pompano Beach, FL it also would play well in Provincetown, MA. Where might you need help pulling together “The Look” you seek? Well, let’s take a look and let me create a plan.

February Flow 2022

Whether you spend the winter in New England or South Florida, the month of February offers a great time to start your outdoor decorating plans. And, similar to creating a design plan for your living room, establishing a focal point for your outdoor design plan also makes sense. Further, even outdoors, rugs often provide one of the best focal points.

Why? Well, a rug’s design and color scheme, by virtue of its placement, commands attention. Few items make as great a statement, in a well-executed design plan than a beautifully designed rug.

Myself, I enjoy pairing bold statement rugs with complementary yet unique seating – indoors or out. Here, left to right, I first combine a traditional rug with a wood frame transitional chair. Then, with the middle combo, I pull together a floral rug with a traditional rattan-look chair. Finally, I put a geometric patterned rug with a contemporary teak frame with a sling fabric seat. Now, for the hard part, I must decide which pairing to choose. Let me know which combo you prefer.

Well, whether kicking off a full-home design or a room refresh project, what better month than February to jumpstart a new project or wind down an existing one in preparation for the next one! I look forward to working on your project anywhere. For example, I enjoy decking out decks on Cape Cod and laying out lanais in Fort Lauderdale and anywhere in between or beyond. Remember to reach out when you want to start your next design project.

January Juju 2022

Ah! January! Holiday decorations stored in the attic. New Year’s resolutions set into motion. With the month almost over, let us reflect now on from where we came and look forward to where we head next.

So, with both reflection and a look toward the immediate future in mind, you might ask: “Why ‘January Juju?’” Well, as an interior designer, I like that the informal meaning of the word juju – projecting a mystical aura or metaphysical power – finds its roots in West African spiritual practices as an item revered for its supernatural powers. And, since we interior designers work in the realm of physical objects, what better than those that provide us with a sense of meaning or place, or further evoke a familiar and comforting feeling? So, let’s here it for January Juju!

Working in my studio today, I discover my January Juju in a few of the objects that inspire the creative side of me. And, as an artistic being with several creative pursuits, one I plan to return to in 2022 remains music. So, wherever you find me in 2022 – enjoying the balmy breezes of the Gold Coast in South Florida or the changing seasons of Cape Cod in Massachusetts – my music returns and continues to inspire everything I do.

So, how about you? What’s your January Juju? And, if you need help bringing all that good juju together, feel free to reach out to me. Remember, when you transform your space, you transform your life. Make 2022 all about expressing the real you…everywhere, anywhere and however you “be.”

The Accent Is on Accent Walls

A simple and powerful decorating statement, the accent wall provides a visual punch in a room’s overall decorative narrative. For example, working with a client seeking to personalize a grand penthouse condo on a canal in the Las Olas Isles of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I spotted a large beautiful, frosted glass-framed mirror in the shape of a circle. With a complimentary flourish of frosted glass palm leaves adorning the base of the frame, the mirror – unfortunately – disappeared on the white wall on which it was hung.

“That is a beautiful mirror.” I said to my client. I then asked: “What do you think of the idea of making that wall an accent wall? With the right wallcovering that mirror would really ‘pop.’” So enamored with the idea, I received a text later that day from my client stating: “I love the idea of making the wall behind the mirror an accent wall. Please feel free to share any other ideas like that one!” With that exchange, we were on our way.

Always providing my clients with several options for any design solution, we settled on a floral wallcovering of subtly drawn vines, leaves and butterflies in soft neutral colors of grays, beiges and creams. In fact, the wallcovering itself looks more like a painted wall mural than a paper wallcovering. Inspired by our success in the living room’s eight by fourteen-foot-high accent wall, we executed a similar solution on the wall behind the bed in the master bedroom. Long and short of it, the lesson learned? A little whimsy goes a long way. Inspired? Contact me to create your own accent wall today.

A Focal Point Creates Harmony

As an interior designer in Fort Lauderdale, I benefit from living in a diverse community that thrives on a wide range of cultural interests and pursuits. My clients consistently surprise me with their varied personal tastes. And, the most rewarding aspect of our work together resonates from the successful execution of an interior design project. This is often based on a clearly identified focal point that often stems from a personal interest.

Right now, working with a client updating a music room, we work in sync determining the items that best create a harmonious ensemble focal point. Clearly the black baby grand piano stands out as the primary focal point, yet this room benefits, too, from supporting players. These contribute to the focus for the overall design.

The piano fills the space framed by a bay window – accompanied by two abstract pieces: a colorful, jewel-toned area rug and a jazzy painting of swirling keyboards and violin scrolls take center stage. From these elements I upholster two lounge chairs with a fun and funky black and jewel-toned tweed fabric and place two lumbar pillows (covered in a burgundy and white houndstooth-patterned fabric) which playfully compliment a small lacquered, black and white houndstooth-covered 3-drawer chest. Proving, that a focal point provides focus to your plan and sets the overall tone for a successful design.

The Seeds of Inspiration . . . Think Spring

While springing ahead – enjoying warmer temperatures and sunnier days – really “Think spring.” and jump-start your spring cleaning efforts with the motto: “It’s time for a change.”Spring represents the season of fresh starts. So, before summer arrives, assess your home décor and take stock of your furnishings. Determine which would benefit most from a facelift now via reupholstering or refinishing, or which have outlived their peak performance and need replacing.

Perhaps applying a fresh coat of paint and changing out draperies provides the spring facelift you seek. Or, you’ll recognize that stalwart sofa in the family room clearly needs replacing with a new high performer. And, you’ll likely replace those throw pillows with a set that matches your new seating. Don’t forget your accessories. For example, family photos may need replacing with newer ones. Often a quick and cost-effective swapping out of a worn-out area rug with a snappy new one provides the inspiration for change.

And remember to invest in a few custom items. Get that durable, yet fetching sectional. You’ll be rewarded with performance and longevity in style. Same goes for custom window draperies, upholstered items, and throw pillows. Going custom on a few pieces guarantees your unique design. So, plant a few seeds of inspiration now then enjoy watching your project bloom all summer long.

Valentine's Day and the Power of Color

When we think of Valentine’s Day we think of the color red. Whether roses, a box of chocolates, or the heart on a greeting card, red at Valentine’s Day demonstrates the power of color. So, what better time to ask what colors really warm your heart and can communicate best how you feel about your home?

Follow your heart and soul’s inspiration while developing a color scheme. As an interior designer, I’ve learned that color selections for the home differ from our favorite colors. The best color solutions arise from the goals for the project while reflecting our hearts’ desires. Remember, a well-thought out selection process leads to the most effective color plan.

Consider these criteria when developing a color scheme:

Impact. Will painting one wall an accent color give your room the look you seek? Or perhaps, blending similar hues delivers the desired “feeling” or “mood.”

Features. Do you want to highlight an architectural element? For example, consider painting the back wall of bookshelves an accent color.

Function. Will you use the room for reading, relaxing, or watching TV? Selecting your room’s color scheme depends on its function.

Lighting. Does natural light fill the room? Artificial light requires a different color scheme than natural light.

Flow. How does this space relate to others? Remember, color continuity reinforces the overall look of your home.

The Custom Advantage

When determining the goals of your next home decorating project, consider the unique opportunity you possess to introduce custom-made furnishings. The inclusion of one, two, or several truly one-of-a-kind pieces, clearly communicates your individual tastes and preferences. In addition, custom components more easily promote a seamless look, where complimentary items naturally relate to one another. This creates an easy flow, providing a more cohesive design.

Custom pieces often offer the greatest value, too, since you’re intentionally investing your design dollars toward the creation of items that serve as more effective focal points. Whether choosing several coordinating fabrics for upholstered pieces, throw pillows, comforters, and draperies or a particular wood finish for a bureau, side table, or headboard, you now possess greater control over the entire design. And, with a clear focal point – and strategically placed pieces anchoring the overall design – you’ve greater direction toward fleshing out the rest of your project with accessories, lighting, collectibles and artwork.

Finally, consider working with a professional designer when including custom furnishings in your next design project. Remember, many folks acquire individual pieces they like, but lack the “know how” to pull them together. Avoid the possibility of making costly mistakes when decorating with custom furnishings by working with a design professional. You’ll be glad you did.

A New Year... A New Look for Your Home

What better time than the New Year to shake things up a bit and consider giving one room in your home – or two or three – an update. Simple makeovers create a positive impact on every person living in your home. And, you’ll enjoy sharing your home’s fresh look with family and friends. So, consider the following ideas to jumpstart your project.

COLOR – Add color to an all-white or beige design to spark its appearance. Paint one accent wall a complimentary color. Install a colorful piece of art in your living room. Replace a worn area rug with a new, multi-colored one.

LAYOUT – New furniture provides an instant facelift; but, simply rearranging your furniture gives a fresh look, too. Move pieces from one room to another. Set larger furniture at an angle. Add an accent table. Reupholster a chair to further enhance your new look.  Remember, small changes can create the greatest impact.

LIGHTING – Few things can rejuvenate us on a rainy day like a home’s interior bathed in bright light. When creating a lighting plan, consider each room’s function. Refine your plan by consulting a design professional.

NOW is the time to begin your project. Remember, everyone benefits from your home’s new look.