A Dash to the Ego

Well, well, well. Christian and I just received our first Hate Mail from a PI reader who DESPISED our most recent column. We were called, and I quote, "snobbish, judgmental, and arrogant". Wow, this is so exciting! I can't believe someone would take the time to write an angry response to an article on decorating for pete's sake!

That being said, we did have some fun examining some of the decorating choices that we feel are less than desirable... Like matching living room sets and unpainted hollow-core doors.

Here's the link to the article in question:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/athome/260518_design25.html

Are we really that evil?

Holding Down the Fort at the P.I. - Homeshow-Style

Homeshows are interesting... There is such a cross-section of people who come to these things, and many of them certainly provide an entertaining floor show. When it was slow, I had fun looking at people's outfits. Frankly, we are a sloppy people.

My favorite visitors were the ones who told me stories about their paper delivery days from long ago. One man told me of when he was 10 years old, and there was the biggest snowstorm happening, but he knew that delivering papers was his primary responsibility - well one of his customers found him in the snow literally freezing to death. Times have changed. I can't imagine letting my son out alone every morning at that age to deliver papers!

So, I was in the P.I. booth yesterday afternoon, sharing our Saturday "@ home" section, pointing out our weekly column - but frankly most people were interested in the Wonder Cutter (coupon cutter) that we were giving away! That's good for bring one down a notch... It was fun meeting people who actually read our column. And someone even told me I look thinner in person! Love her!

Christian and I will both be in the P.I. booth on Thursday the 16th from noon to 2pm.

Home Show Appearance

Christian and I will be presenting a seminar at the Seattle Home Show this Sunday (February 19th) at 4pm - We will be talking about one of our favorite topics: "Discovering Your Design Style". It will include plenty of time for question and answer, plus we give you real usable information on how to easily key into your own style.

It'll be fun, come meet us!

Color Me "Decorated Out"...

This last weekend was the culmination of a LOT of work for my newspaper writing partner Christian Ursino and myself (check out our website and columns). We were the designers for a new feature at the 2006 Northwest Flower and Garden Show called Destination Living by Windermere Real Estate.

Here's the basic concept: When you are ready to purchase your vacation getaway, Windermere wants you to think of using them because they have offices in many different states. This is a pretty good idea when you think about it, since the people who attend the show are the same ones who are buying 2nd homes.

So at the show, there were 5 rooms with coordinating gardens promoting different getaway themes. Christian and I were the ones responsible for transforming each 11.5' x 11.5' box into a space that would evoke the specific theme.

The kicker of the project: we received the assignment in early December - we had less than 8 weeks to design 5 rooms, secure suppliers for all surfaces (floors, walls and furnishings) and coordinate the whole thing. Sure, it sounds like a lot of time, but we had Christmas and New Years in there, a flu epidemic and a potential supplier who never materialized. We really pulled it all together in less than a month!

Our rooms turned out great. Our suppliers were angels, we could not have down it without Dania , Capers (206-545-7876), Daly's and Fidalgo's.

Nor would we have looked too pretty without the expert services of Queen Anne Painting and Elgie Gibson (425-485-3211) Wallcovering Installation.

More on our rooms later - I've got to dash off to the store to pick up Valentine's Dinner and Desert for the family - I think we'll have pasta with red sauce and strawberries with whipped cream for dessert (add a little champagne for us parents!). Kids will like having a red dinner for Valentine's Day.