By PJ Bremier IJ correspondent

INTERIOR DESIGNER Suzanne Tucker's newly released book, "Interiors: The Romance of Design" (288 pages, Monicelli Press, $65), is a lush coffee-table book that features a dozen homes she's designed. They range from a cozy country bungalow to a crisp apartment in San Francisco's Millennium Tower to a spectacular lodge home in Sun Valley.

Within the gorgeously styled and photographed pages are illustrative chapters on Tucker's own stylish home and her two showcase spaces a dining room for the 2010 San Francisco Decorator Showcase and the living room for Villa Belvedere, the 2012 Marin Designers Showcase, which also graces the tome's cover.

Sausalito resident Suzanne Tucker has just released her second book, 'Interiors: The Romance of Design' (The Monacelli Press, $65). Photo by Michal Venera

Tucker, who lives in Sausalito with her husband, Tim Marks, is managing projects across the country; a formal city residence, a rustic ranch, a modern apartment, a classic California Spanish revival, the Auberge du Soleil maisons and a historic house on the Hudson River.

Despite this schedule, she managed to answer some questions on her design approach:

Q: What does your Santa Barbara upbringing bring to your design?

A: Growing up in Montecito, the world was certainly my architectural and horticultural oyster! My sister and I would spend days on end building forts out of whatever organic materials we would find to create our fantasies. And as a child, I loved my parents' dinner parties, the set-up, the silver and china, and tagging along with them so I could see their friends' houses and explore the gardens. It all strongly developed my love of design, the decorative arts, architecture and garden design. It also influenced my approach to my projects in that I love creating homes that are essentially charming and individual and, yes, romantic.

Q: What are your three design essentials?

A: Balance, proportion and scale. Amen!

Originally posted here:
Fine Living: Sausalito's Suzanne Tucker shares her secrets for interiors

When the holiday season rolled around, Holly Joe, interior decorator, said that she could not resist decorating a Christmas mantel as part of Van Millworks Mantels and Mistletoe Holiday Showcase.

A full-scale interior designer by trade, Joe often mixes classic design with modern twists. In her piece for the exhibit, Joe decorated the library, which she said was a mahogany paneled room with bookcases and corner cabinets.

The room exudes warmth from the mirrored sconces and gilded chandelier, she said. I decided to play up the gold by introducing silver. Mixing metal tones is an on-trend decorating style that I knew would work in this traditional space.

The library suite that Joe has decorated for the exhibit is one of nine individual suites that represent different styles and architectural periods. For Mantels and Mistletoe, different area designers decorate each of the suites in a holiday theme. The display is open to the public through Dec. 20 in the Van Millwork Needham Showroom. The event, which is free to attend, but suggests an unwrapped toy or article of clothing to donate, benefits Horizons for Homeless Children, Cradles to Crayons, and The Italian Home for Children.

I got involved with Van Millwork's Mantels and Mistletoe event because I believe in giving back to help a good cause, well, three good causes, Joe said. As a full-scale interior designer, I normally work on single rooms and complete houses, but I couldn't resist decorating a mantel for Christmas.

In order to decorate her space, Joe said that she began by clearing the room of accessories and then began to organize the pieces that would add a modern flair to the traditional appearance of the Library.

After clearing the room of accessories, I laid down an evergreen garland on the mantel and around the chandelier. I brought in gold-dusted silver evergreen boughs and cut them apart to add sparkle and dimension to the mantel, she said. Next came the mercury candleholders with battery-operated candles and a round gilded mirror.My design philosophy is all about symmetry, so I took out the bookcase shelves and placed a 4-foot lighted Christmas tree in both spaces. The trees are decorated with silver, platinum and white ornaments intermixed with glittered snowflakes. This cozy library also includes a small chesterfield sofa that I've decorated with gold and silver pillows and a faux mink throw. To keep the space from becoming too formal, I added a little whimsy in the form of a large greyhound statue complete with gold and silver bow.

By mixing metals with the traditional wood paneling, Joe said that she was able to brighten the room and bring hints of sparkle. Joe added her work as a designer was reflected in her mantel in the sense she believes in putting a modern twist on traditional design. She said that New England architecture contains a lot of history and tradition, but adding an unexpected color or space can turn a house into a cozy and inviting home.

Though this exhibit is for display to the public, Joe said that making design choices for the home is based strongly on personal preferences.

The most important aspect of design is to be true to yourself, she said. Cultivate a collection and decorate with accessories you love and colors that make you happy. Your home should be a collection of treasures you found, no matter their provenance.

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Westwood resident decorates mantel for exhibit

Death of an Interior Decorator
Originally by Death Cab for Cutie Cover by Evan Thomas McFadden 12/5/2013.

By: Evan Mcfadden

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Death of an Interior Decorator - Video

BT Vancouver: Great Gifts For The Design-Obsessed On Your List
From home dcor junkies to fashion enthusiasts, interior decorator and all around style guru Alykhan Velji shows you great gifts for the design-obsessed on y...

By: citytvofficial

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BT Vancouver: Great Gifts For The Design-Obsessed On Your List - Video

Dec. 10, 2013, 4:10 a.m.

Bulli mum Pinky Makaude has developed a product range designed to provide simple, inexpensive ways for people to easily create more inspirational spaces for work, living or leisure.

Pinky Makaude, of Bulli, with some of the product range from her business, Festoon Creative Spaces. Picture: GREG ELLIS

Bulli mum Pinky Makaude has developed a product range designed to provide simple, inexpensive ways for people to easily create more inspirational spaces for work, living or leisure.

Mrs Makaude started thinking more about her dream while she was on maternity leave with her son for 12 months.

During that year, she decided to further investigate turning her idea into a business reality.

So she contacted the Illawarra Business Enterprise Centre at Illawarra ITeC and undertook a basic business course.

That dream became reality and Festoon Creative Spaces was born a few months ago.

Mrs Makaude's vision was to design, source and market unique decorator products.

Festoon Creative Spaces is initially operating as an online retail store with its base in Bulli.

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Mum's interior design business set up to inspire

Lounge-Inspired Living Room
On http://houseandhome.com/tv, see how interior decorator Grace Castaneda transforms a small and dated room into a party space with a hip, cocktail-lounge vi...

By: House Home

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Lounge-Inspired Living Room - Video

Get Paid to Decorate

Imagine having a rewarding, high-paying job that lets you use your creativity to make homes and businesses more beautiful and comfortable. Welcome to the world of interior decorating!

If you start your own interior decorating business you will enjoy the freedom and financial rewards of being your own boss. And perhaps most importantly your interior decorating "work" will be fun, interesting, and personally rewarding.

Interior decorators are more in demand than ever before. Most are hired to decorate homes (including yachts!), but they are also hired to decorate interiors of a wide variety of businesses. Decorators may decorate the entire interior of a building or a single room such as the living room, kitchen, bathroom, or bedroom.

If you would like to be paid to decorate homes or businesses, the FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decoratoris for you! In this book you will discover how you can get started and succeed in the exciting career of interior decorating.

This guide focuses on information that is difficult to find elsewhere - how to get hired as an interior decorator. However, if you also want to learn interior decorating, this guide can save you many hours of research time, because it includes step-by-step interior decorating instructions plus links to the best resources available to learn interior decorating (including many free resources).

This guide offers insider tips and expert career advice from successful interior decorators and interior designers. It covers topics of vital importance to anyone who wants to learn interior decorating and get hired as an interior decorator, including:

Getting Ready

The information in this guide can save you many hours of research time. In addition to valuable advice, you will find the best interior decorating resources gathered for you in one place.

You can have all this and more for an incredible special price. People pay hundreds of dollars for courses on interior decorating. The FabJob Guide to Become an Interior Decorator contains some of the best interior decorating career advice you could get from other sources, plus much more.

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Interior Decorating - Interior Decorating Jobs - Interior ...

How to Find An Affordable Interior Decorator
http://www.vmdecor.com Now offering online decorating services for as low as $30.

By: Valarie Michelle

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How to Find An Affordable Interior Decorator - Video

Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism Demos - "Death of an Interior Decorator" (Audio)
From Death Cab For Cutie #39;s album Transatlanticism Demos, available now at http://smarturl.it/transdemos.

By: barsukrecords

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Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism Demos - "Death of an Interior Decorator" (Audio) - Video

"Tiny Creepy Witch Mom," Robert Plays Skyrim Hearthfire Ep. 4
Skyrim and Hearthfire are copyright Bethesda Softworks Loving wife, doting mom, smart interior decorator... and a creepy witch who steals souls and crawls ar...

By: Robert Dodd

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"Tiny Creepy Witch Mom," Robert Plays Skyrim Hearthfire Ep. 4 - Video