Category Archives: Before and After: Homes and Workspaces

Problems and solutions

Clutter-Clearing: Baby Steps or the Full Kondo?

Did you resolve to simplify for New Years? It’s a brand new year and we’re bursting with resolve to be better, do better, feel better. “This is the year I will finally _____.” (You fill in the blanks. My own … Continue reading

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Paint colors: how to lead the eye and set a mood

Visual trickery is so much fun! I live in a 730 sq ft condo in a hundred-year-old converted warehouse. It’s basically a studio apartment because the bathroom is the only space with a door. When I moved in, the walls … Continue reading

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Refreshing a tired exterior

This cute bungalow was in need of woodwork repair, new front steps, and fresh paint. The owners liked the original colors but thought it was time for a slightly more sophisticated version of them. The white was a little harsh … Continue reading

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Fresh paint brings home into 21st century

Colorful homes are my signature. But sometimes it’s just too much, as in this case of my client Leslie’s home in Bend. Time for a change! The first thing you noticed was how dark the house felt, despite the high … Continue reading

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Portland Craftsman before and after

Inexpensive makeover for a Portland Craftsman, mostly done with paint and rearrangement of furnishings, creates a warm welcome. Continue reading

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Throw a “come and get it” party! Offloading for charity

How do you make disposing of your treasures easy and fun, while also benefiting  a favorite charity? When I was preparing to downsize to a smaller home, I sold what I could on Craigslist, but still had way too much stuff that … Continue reading

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French kitchen color makeover

Colorful makeover of a French kitchen. A wonderful backdrop for food fun. Continue reading

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A Down-Sizer’s Blessing

Down-sizing necessitates a great deal of reflection about what is and isn’t important, and about what our Stuff means in the grand scheme of things. Here’s a blessing for the process. Continue reading

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French chef + handy husband = Amazing Kitchen

We dined the other night at the home of Hervé and Chantal, a retired couple who live in Besançon, France. Chantal is a wonderful cook, and her husband likes to build beautiful things. Their kitchen was typical 1980s ugly, of … Continue reading

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How to personalize your chateau with paint

Chateau Lalande, now Le Stelsia, is the most colorful chateau in France. It is bright, bold, brave and fabulous. Let it inspire you to be bolder too. Continue reading

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