The Don’t Of A Room

May 8, 2025

When considering a room’s “don’ts,” avoid common design pitfalls like cohesion, overdone symmetry, color gone wrong, and shapes, lines, and forms. 

1. Lack of Cohesion: The room can’t decide what it is. Contemporary? Traditional? Does the item serve a purpose? Pay attention to all the elements in the room. Place items purposefully (E.g., Floor lamp next to chair/sofa).

2. Overdone Symmetry: It becomes redundant and uninteresting. You don’t have to have two of everything. The only exception is the master bedroom.

3. Color Gone Wrong: Understand the saturation/value of the color. Saturation is the purest shade of that color, the highest level. Value is when you brighten the color by adding white. (Ex: coffee, add milk color lightens). Use colors that will compliment the furniture. If one color pops out more than any other color, chances are the color is to saturated.

4. Lack of Attention to Shape, Line, and Form: The lines all go in the same direction (E.g., all vertical, vertical lamp, vertical stripes, tall vertical vase).

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Rules Of Placements

April 24, 2025

1. The perfect viewing height for art is 60″ center above the floor.

2. The perfect space between the wall art/mirror and the top of the mantle is 7″.

3. The ideal height to hang your flat-screen TV is eye level when you’re in the viewing position. The ideal viewing distance is 1  1/2 times the size of your flat screen.

4. A bench at the foot of the bed should be at least 2″ shorter than the mattress width.

5. Keep a minimum of 15″ between coffee tables and sofa.

6. Don’t use end tables lower than 30″. The lamps will be much better, and the proportions will be better.

7. To allow better flow and use, there should be a minimum of 36″ of space around your dining table.

8. Light switches should be 36″ above the floor and 1  1/2″ to 2″ off the side. This  way, they are out of the way of your wall art and door casing.

9. The optimal height for a coffee table is 18″ to 20″

10. The typical sconce height for a bathroom is 66” above the finish floor to the center  of the fixture.

11.  A 36’ rectangular table is ideal width. It allows for conversation to the right, left, and, most importantly, across.

12. Typically, an Island should be no more than 8’ long by 5’ wide. Anything more significant will make it harder to clean and will look too massive.

13. Keep your sofa at 6’6” to 7’ long. Any smaller and it looks dwarfish, and any larger and it looks like an airport lounge.

14. Lighting formula: Multiply length x width, then multiply 1.5 = amount of wattage

15. Kitchen lighting. Multiply length x width, then multiply 2.5 = amount of wattage

16. Chandelier for rooms. Add the length plus width to get the width of the chandelier. For example, a 16’x20′ room would use a 36” chandelier width.

17. The chandelier over the table should be 30”-34” from the tabletop, or 60” to 66” above the floor, and half the table’s width. For a 48” table, use a 24” width chandelier.

18. To determine the wattage for a space, multiply LxW to get sq ft. Then multiply that by 1.5 to get the wattage. 

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abella home staging

The Hallmark Of A Beautiful Room

April 10, 2025

There are seven elements to creating a Beautiful Room. Consider these elements and ask yourself if you have met all these requirements.

  1. Balance: Have you achieved balance? Horizontally? Vertically? Color? (three zones?)Texture? (all the same finishes in your accent pieces?) Metal? Is it all satin? bronze?
  2. Harmony: The way the rooms flow together. Do they tell a story or is it chopped up?
  3. Proportion: The way things relate to one another. Ex: Is the lamp the best proportion to the table?
  4. Scale: The way things relate to the room. Ex: Is the sofa the right scale for the room? Or is it too big? Too small?
  5. Color: Does it hit the three zones? Function one 0″-36″ Power  Z0ne  36″-78″  Ceiling  Zone  78″  to  ceiling.
  6. Rhythm & Flow: Keeps the room moving. This is where you’re going to repeat things. Be true to the form. Ex: Round table has round table mat, round accessories. Doesn’t mean everything in the room has to be round!
  7. Style: Does it have flair and have you honoredwhat it is you are trying to achieve?
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Color Specialist

March 27, 2025

Most people don’t think too much about color when designing a space, but color is the fundamental building block of design. Choose the wrong color, and nothing will work.

Years ago, I took a course in color and learned quite a bit. The system I learned is based on science—yes, science!! It involves combining levels of color intensity to create perfect harmonies.

So, if you need help choosing a color for your space, contact me, and let’s talk. I would love to help you pick the perfect color.

 

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Senior Citizen Apartment

February 2, 2023

This past summer, I was hired to design a senior citizen apartment. She was moving from her current home into a new senior development and wanted a “WOW Factor!”. Her words, not mine.

I met with my client and her daughter and went to work. First, I went and measured the space and took pictures. Then I made a floor plan. This is important because it allows me to see what items are going where and, most importantly, the size it requires. After that, we set a date and went shopping. Sometimes my client does come with me when I shop.

Here is the floor plan. I estimated what size would work. This way, when I shop for the item, I know the size of the item. We were shopping for a living room, dining room,  and kitchen.

We bought all the furniture at Raymour and Flannigan since she wanted fast delivery and had a budget she needed to work with. So we did the complete shopping all in one day.

 

Safe to say she definitely got the “wow” factor!

 



 

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Living Room Remodel in Malverne

January 19, 2023

This living room was a design remodel I did for a client. I’ve known Lisa for a few years now and have done just about every room in her house.

It was beautiful in its glory day but sadly, not so much now. The sofa was worn out, and the area rug and coffee table were dated.

It was time to update. Lisa wanted a more contemporary look with some traditional elements. I also wanted to add some rustic features to the design.
It turned out beautifully, and the client was pleased with the results!

We had already removed the drapery which was very heavy.

 

It had an unusual Juliet balcony.

The accent chair had seen better days as did the ottoman!

What a difference! Light, bright and airy. With contemporary touches as well as rustic and traditional elements.

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Living Room Design

January 5, 2023
I recently did a living design for a client. She hadn’t purchased any furniture in a few years, and it showed. When I walked into the space, I noticed that the sofa’s back was exposed; that was the first thing I saw.

I knew I had to change the layout of that space. She had a piano that she didn’t use, so with some convincing on my part; she gave it away. This allows me to extend the space further. I intended to put the TV  where the piano used to be, opening up the room. 

We decided on a color theme that she liked, navy and taupe, and off to shopping, we went.

This area is where the piano used to be; now the TV and the fireplace console reside. It ties the two spaces together, creating a much larger living space.

We also touched upon the dining room. I’ve seen this happen quite enough. Once the space is complete, my client winds up doing more because the area adjacent to it usually needs to be updated as well. We kept the table and replaced the chairs and credence. 

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Decorating for the Holidays

December 8, 2022
Decorating for the holidays is fun but can also be stressful. So I’m here to give you some pointers on how to decorate for the holiday.

The first thing you want to do is decide on a color theme. The color theme doesn’t have to be green and red. I chose Turquoise, White, Pink, and Chartreuse Green. It coordinates nicely with my color theme for the home.

I tell my clients to make it look like it was done by a professional, create vignettes, and not line it up. My famous saying is don’t decorate like, “Ducks in a Row.” Vignettes create a better design.

I start by layering it and keep building it. It creates depth.
Add some whimsical elements. My tree topper is not your standard topper. Instead, it reminds me of Dr. Seus, Whoville.
Even your wrapping paper should match your color theme.

Here is an excellent example of vignettes. I also use a lot of pine cones and flowers to fill in the gaps.

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