houzz interior design ideas

Archive for the "accessories" Category

Repurposing Prexy

  Last year I was asked by my alma mater, Reed College, to help with the re-design of the Prexy Building on the college campus.  It was designed in 1914 by the renowned Portland architect, A.E. Doyle, as a home for the college president, hence its name.  The building was subsequently used as a boys’ […]

National Design Magazine Picks Up My Kitchen!

5 Tips for Easy Summer Entertaining

We are blessed in the Pacific Northwest with a moderate climate that makes outdoor entertaining possible from May through September.  If you are new to outdoor entertaining, here are a few tips to make it  easy and fun: 1.   FOOD:  Don’t try to do it all yourself.  Plan simple menus, prepare most things the […]

Make Your Living Room Come Alive

  It’s a sad story–hardly anyone “lives” in their living rooms anymore.  This is a tale we hear over and over, and here is one example of how we fixed it.   The “AFTER” detail above  shows a small slice of the adjoining living and dining rooms featured in this post.  When the homeowners called Emery & […]

Combining Households–How to Make It Work

Susan Bach and Doug Egan combined their households some years ago. When they asked Emery & Associates for help redoing the entire house, it was apparent that what they needed help with the most was integrating Susan’s family pieces and whimsical country style with Doug’s more formal, traditional French style.  We began in the TV […]

Redesign–What does it mean?

Emery &  Associates did a major remodel of a client’s living room fireplace several years ago (see my previous post  “Hot New Looks for Old Fireplaces,” February 24, 2011).  The clients liked the remodeled fireplace so much that this year they rearranged their furniture so that the sofa faces the fireplace, which has become the […]

Always Sunny in Portland, Oregon

  Yes, I’m kidding.  But even on  dark and rainy days the mood in this room is sunny and warm, like a day in Provence.  When we first started talking about what kind of changes they wanted in their home, Sue and Bob Van Brocklin let me know their color and style preferences, and we […]

Winter White–A Budget Makeover

When it comes to interior design, most people think of me as a colorist.  Fact is, I think of myself that way.  But recently we needed to replace the flooring in our guest room, which is on the lower level of our home.  After consulting with my good friend, interior designer Jamie Devlin, who works […]

Let’s Talk About PROPORTION and SCALE

While some people have an innate sense of scale and proportion when it comes to furnishing a room, most of us could use a little help, which is the reason most professional interior designers and architects carry tape measures with them at all times.   At Emery & Associates we usually start with scaled floor […]

High Summer Dining–Bon Appetit!

My clients are having some friends over for dinner tomorrow evening, and I told them I’d bring the flowers for the table since the room is now completed and I wanted to photograph it.   The hostess is using her mother’s Spode china (“Buttercup”), and her own coral red place mats and napkins.  This space […]

houzz interior design ideas