interior design: The Road Just Led To A Different Place And I Loved The Journey - 02/05/14 12:57 AM
Trying to choose one story, among all the defining moments in a 27 year career is a little like looking at a showcase filled with flawless gems, trying to pick the most perfect.  I consider myself blessed, over the years, serving a diverse population of buyers and sellers, often at very emotional time in their lives.  I cherish the memories they have left in their wake and revel in my role, helping them reach their goals.
This last in the trilogy for the Love Is In The Air series, veers off the track slightly and, at the time, unpredictably.  I was … (11 comments)

interior design: It's Your Choice -- Will You Work Harder Or Smarter? - 01/14/11 03:54 PM
I couldn't help thinking tonight, as I was creating a floor plan for a design job, that there were two ways of doing this.  I could have the furniture all brought into the room, then drag it around till it worked in the space, or I could create my floor plan to scale online, and save some sore muscles.  The same principle would apply to any task we take on.  If we do our homework and prepare for the outcome ahead of time we can save ourselves a lot of aggravation along the way.
How many times in life do we wait … (9 comments)

interior design: Sometimes It Starts With A Dream - 01/08/11 11:42 AM
Reading a comment today by Debra Davis on my post about 55 & over housing, took me on an instant journey back to my childhood.  I realize now that I've been a stager in the making all of my life.  At the time of the life changing incident, we (my parents, my older brother and I) lived in a too small apartment that had nothing more to say for itself than it kept us warm and dry and housed our belongings.  Not having a real space I could call my own, my first glimpse of the "model home" filled me with … (3 comments)

interior design: Is Decorating Your Passion? Visit The Designer Showcase At Orchard Hill - Old Westbury, NY - 10/23/10 05:03 PM
If there's a bit of a designer of you, or if you just love looking at beautifully decorated rooms, you're in for a real treat this holiday season.  From October 30th to December 12th, Orchard Hill, the former residence of Peggy Phipps Boegner will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a Designer Showcase with a Home For The Holidays theme.  Only the second time in its history, this 1856 farmhouse on Long Island's Gold Coast, will open its doors to showcase some of the most artistic designers in the New York area. 
Long before I started staging and decorating homes myself I was drawn to the … (4 comments)

interior design: To Stage Or Not To Stage Your Long Island Home -- Just How Much Do You Want To Sell? - 10/13/10 01:47 PM
If you've considered selling your home on Long Island, you should also seriously think about having it staged by a professional.  Statistics have shown that staged homes sell for more money and in a shorter period of time.
Kathy Nielsen's wonderful post this morning about table settings was so right on that I wanted to add my own experience with it.  When sellers put their homes on the market, I almost always recommend a staging to appeal to the widest audience. 
Our goal is to bring potential buyers into your home and allow them to envision themselves living there.  The look has to be uncluttered and … (6 comments)

interior design: Setting The Stage - A Treasure Hunt - 09/29/10 04:56 PM
Today was another one of those magical days when the elusive items I've been searching for, appeared before me as if constructed for my eyes only.  I turned a corner, in search of some throw pillows and additional bedding when this manifestation of the perfect 7 ft. tree appeared out of nowhere.  It was set on one of HomeGoods little platforms.  Random items, bunched together with little thought or care, cried out for someone to love them and take them home.  From what I could see, nobody was getting the message.  I walked around the unattractive little island of stuff once, … (12 comments)

interior design: I Staged An Office And Made It A Home - 09/25/10 02:00 PM
A few years ago, when my office on Long Island moved from a small space to a much larger, brand new building, I had the opportunity to have my own office.  I'd longed for one for years, a space where I could close a door and get my work done and manage to have a cohesive, uninterrupted thought.  It was to be a relatively small room (7'x10') that held two desks, with room for little else, but I was determined to make it my own.  Laura Cerrano's post last night asking How Happy Are You In Your Office brought a smile … (13 comments)

interior design: Your Gain Is Their Loss - Who Wins? - 09/17/10 01:56 PM
Signs of a difficult economy proliferate on Long Island and it saddens me.  Long term, higher end stores liquidate their inventory in a last gasp before disappearing from the landscape, into a sea of failed business.  As a stager/decorator and real estate broker on Long Island these establishments are the core of my business.  For years they stood strong, the last bastion against a recessionary environment. 
There is an upside to this in the short term for my clients.  They benefit from deeply discounted prices as we populate their homes with a treasure trove of riches.  Yet I can't help wishing it weren't so.  I'd rather pound the … (7 comments)

interior design: Designing The Perfect Day - 09/15/10 02:26 PM
Today was an incredibly productive day.  I checked on a staging job in progress, picked the one final paint color, hung a few pieces of art and then went shopping for a design job in the final stages.  We're down to the last few major pieces of furniture, accessorizing and final tweaking.  This one was a major whole house project and has been many months in the making.
I don't know how many other stager/designers out there feel this way, but I get very excited when I find just the right object to fill a space.  Whenever I do, the last find … (8 comments)

interior design: A Day In The Life of Roger Mucci - Welcome To His World, Chapter One - 08/22/10 01:59 PM
How lucky are we to have a glimpse into the magical world of Roger Mucci and his considerable talent.  Those who have been following Roger's story to the point of his move to new digs and new gig in property management have the rare opportunity to witness first hand how talent, ingenuity and considerable sweat equity can transform a plain white box into . . . who knows what. 
I've been given the happy task of presenting his before pictures of his new apartment.  Not only is it a challenging space in many ways, but it failed to meet his standards of cleanliness.  So, … (26 comments)

interior design: An Almost Perfect Day In An All Too Imperfect World - 07/01/10 04:51 PM
The day was busy, from the first conscious breath I drew.  An early decorating appointment with my assistant clearly set the path I would travel till I could finally kick off my shoes and settle in for the night.  The best part of it, aside from the tingle I always get when just the right piece presents itself to perfectly accessorize a room, or give one direction, was the realization that everyone who crossed my path was . . . nice, and pleasant to be around.  
If you've ever had the experience of everything in your world being slightly out of synch, … (4 comments)