Gift a silver lining

Ciao tutti,

This year it seems that each conversation begins or ends with “I hope that you are staying safe, wear your mask and what a crazy year.” It is a time that will go down in the history books, one which we will never forget. For those who got sick and for those who lost loved ones, the pain has been immeasurable,

November 2, 2020

Musings

In preparation for the impending, madly important November date, I am speaking of course of the start of Season 4 of The Crown, I decided to re-watch some prior episodes to get me ready for the thrills that are to come. Watching the episode about the epic moon landing brought back nostalgic memories, that left me with mixed emotions and thinking about our future.

Our Olive Oil Harvest has Started

Hi everyone,

We all have images in our minds that tell us it’s Autumn – walking amongst trees flaming in vibrant colours, jumping in huge piles of crispy leaves, watching smoke rising lazily from a chimney or tucking into bowls of steaming hot soup. For our family, the distinct reminder that it is fall happens early in October,

Welcome to the dark side

Dear Debbie;

Our home is a mix of traditional and contemporary styling with long, open spaces and lots of light. I am drawn to some of the rich, dark paint shades and wonder if they would work in the living/dining area. The walls call out for some kind of warmth. Also are there any tips for painting with dark colours.

One new thing

It is a key goal to feel comfortable and at ease at home, to have rooms designed to work with you, play with you and relax with you. Take the kitchen for example. It’s possible to work around some basic flaws when you’re busy prepping meals. But is the overall ambiance something to think about? If you are finding your kitchen totally uninspiring right now,

Where life happens

Dear Debbie;

During the pandemic we have been spending a great deal more time as a family in the living room. It’s feeling a bit tired and I’d like to make the room welcoming and special, What can I do?
— Henri

Dear Henri;

I was intrigued, but not surprised, to discover that the space thought by many to be the “heart of the home” is now predominantly the living room.

Make it better

Shelving and cabinetry are among the first items you opt for when setting up a new home. A common choice is to go for flat pack furniture as it is affordable, functional and easy to find. There is a trend out there that has been growing with faithful followers of IKEA that takes their clean-lined, Scandi designs and transforms them by decoration and/or use.

Got the blues?

Dear Debbie;

We have a long hallway that stretches along the front of the house. It’s an unusual design with entrances to the main rooms off the hall on one side. It gets a lot of use by our large family of kids and dogs. How can I break up the runway feel?
— Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth;

Splurge on small spaces

The bathroom is one of the busiest, hardworking spaces in your home. It’s there for you when you begin and end your day and how well it looks and functions can make a big impact on your mood. Whether you are in a hurry to get to work in the morning or relaxing in a bath in the evening this is a room that deserves your attention.

The right rug

Dear Debbie;

We have just installed beautiful oak hardwood throughout our main floor including the kitchen and hallway. Now we are in the market for an area rug for the living room and wonder about size. Are there rules that we should follow? Thank you.
— Jennie

Dear Jennie;

An area rug is a special feature.