need a quick tune up?

Our new chocolate lab, Roxy, is a sweet, affectionate and pretty well-behaved, almost 2 year old pooch. We adopted her a few months ago and she's fitting right into our crazy lives. She's great with our daughters and LOVES to retrieve. The only thing she needs help with is walking well on her leash.

(Roxy playing on the beach)

For those of you who know dogs, you know that ideally a dog should not PULL you down the street, but walk right beside you (heel), keeping up with your pace. Well, Roxy, as cute and chocolate brown as she is, likes to pull. She weighs 55 pounds, so my arm take a beating on every walk.

There's a point to this story and it has to do with decorating...promise!

We spent a lot of time training our last dog. We took her to puppy and obedience classes and worked hard to teach her to mind her manners. I say this because I've been around the dog training block before and know the basics — commands, tools, how to be the boss, repetition, positive reinforcement....you get the idea. So, when Roxy needed some training I thought I could take it on myself. I've been working on it, but finally decided I needed the assistance of a pro.

So we have an appointment with our favorite dog trainer next week and I'm hoping a one hour session will get both me and Roxy on track to better leash walking. I plan on taking her tips and tricks and implementing them myself over the next few months, without needing much more outside help.

WHY am I telling you this? It's not just because I like to talk about my dog, but it's to let you know that the same idea can apply to decorating services (not that I'm comparing dog training to decorating...I assure you that none of my clients are furry). Sometimes you just want the eye of a pro for an hour or two. You need a plan, another set of eyes, some advice with furniture choices, custom window treatments, colors or lighting.

It's a common misconception that designers only work on complete rooms with huge budgets and nothing less. I, and many other designers, offer consultations to get you started, keep you moving or help you complete a room. You don't need to hire a designer to do it all (but we wouldn't mind that either!) so the next time you wish you could have a designer's eye in your room for an hour or so, pick up the phone and ask if consultations are offered.

I'm happy to take your calls — to chat about Roxy or decorating!

Happy decorating.

"Where should I begin?"

Do you struggle with how to begin your design projects? Does your living room just stare at you, giving no answers, suggestions or feedback? I hear this question a lot from clients and I have a few tips to help you figure out where to start your next design project.

Start with the item that has the most limitations. For example, if you are reupholstering an existing sofa, purchasing an area rug and window treatments and painting you need to determine which of these things has the most limits.

Retail purchases are the most limited in that you are limited by what the store carries. They may carry something you LOVE, but it's still the most limited as far as selection goes.

Custom fabric treatments (upholstery or window fabrics) are going to provide you more options than retail. Your budget will be your most limiting factor here, but there are thousands of custom fabric options available. You'll need to work with a professional to access to the widest fabric selections, but he/she can assist you with selecting the proper fabric type for your project.

Finally, your least limiting option is paint color. Paint can be mixed in any shade you desire. You can bring anything inspiration piece to your favorite paint shop and ask them to match any color.

So as you are planning your design projects, select retail items first, followed by custom and then select your paint color last to tie all of your selections together. It's easy to jump into paint color first, but that can limit your future selections, which are already limited.

I always suggest starting with an inspiration piece to get any room started. This helps with any purchases (retail or custom) and can be anything—art, fabric, a printed card, pillow, rug or a flower. Anything that catches your eye can inspire a room!

Then shop with that inspiration piece with you so you can coordinate colors.

Happy decorating!