Photo Credit - Patrick Brickman
Beach style bathroom photo in Charleston

Advice on interior design is available everywhere—from TV shows and websites to books, magazines and apps. We love seeing people become engaged in design and educated on the wide range of possibilities. But we hope you’ll proceed with caution. It’s not that style errors are a matter of life and death. It’s just that it’s easy to choose designs that aren’t necessarily reflective of your own personality and character. And since you’re typically stuck with your interior design decisions for years, styles that don’t quite fit can tend to grate on you. Interiors that give one person comfort may unleash chaos in someone else. This goes beyond favorite colors or hot trends, right to the heart of interior design, where you find questions of composition, balance, repetition, space and more. The goal is to find that unique combination of design elements that gives you comfort, support and balance. In one home, that perfect balance was struck through the use of symmetry. A pair of comfortable swivel chairs sit beneath matching indigo patterned paintings. Matching bookcases below the paintings contain similar, but not identical, arrangements of books, vases and bowls. Woods and bronzes help warm up the simple white bookcase shelving. Two matching poufs in front of the fireplace provide additional seating. The sofa is accented with a pair of pillows with a blue pattern that echoes the artwork. The effect of the symmetry is to achieve order and simplicity, which I promote at every opportunity. After all, your home interiors should be the setting or the backdrop of your life—not center stage. Antique bronze and blue are complementary colors. Together, they offer a rich palette of richness and depth, which brings out the beauty of wood and stone. In the home office, a unique, whitewash-stained wooden desk rests on metal, Sawhorse-inspired legs for a warm, rustic look. The black leather chair features a contemporary silhouette with an antique brass frame. An adjustable desk lamp has bronze accents. The bookcase combines a sleek, black metal frame with concrete shelves, for another unusual pairing. It’s kept uncluttered for an orderly, peaceful look. Items on the shelves include a bronze-accented lamp and a pair of high gloss-finished wooden bookends. The elegant artwork behind the desk is a simple midnight-blue and bronze with mottled white. Deep blues are again picked up in the rug, which adds a stately vibe with a modern pattern and satisfying texture. Within the framework of symmetry, the living room repeats the blue-and-bronze color scheme. A large midcentury brass clock above the fireplace keeps the natural stone visible, rather than hidden behind a painting or television, while its straight lines and color create a beautiful contrast. The sofa is a soft, neutral blue. The pattern on the round brass side table features echoes the darker blue-patterned rug, as well as the rug in the office, tying the rooms together. Indigo blue books adjacent to bronze vases on the shelves repeat the color scheme. The soapstone-topped coffee table echoes the shape of the fireplace. A pair of tall, matching floor lamps with long wooden bases, brass pulls and simple linen shades combine both the colors and symmetry found throughout the home.

Split face marble laying on wall.

Tile floor laid.
Example of a minimalist bathroom design in Bridgeport

Inspiration for a timeless home design remodel in Raleigh

Amos Moses Photography
Example of a mid-sized transitional medium tone wood floor and brown floor kitchen design with an undermount sink, beaded inset cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances, an island and white countertops

Happy wife. The lush garden in the back shows how we buffered the netting while creating a rich space for pollinator foraging. Photo: Ted Akune
Photo of a mid-sized traditional partial sun backyard stone formal garden in Vancouver for summer.

SCOTT BULEY, HTT&T, HIGH TECH TURF & TREES, LandscapeMakeover.biz, Rain Garden Nursery. Native plants at a historic home makeover. Huckleberries, ferns, creeping Oregon Grape and even compatible Mondograss....one of our favorites.

Amy Ellis Photography
Elegant dark wood floor home office photo in Charlotte with green walls

Home design - contemporary home design idea in Vancouver

Example of a transitional home design design in Charlotte

Large minimalist galley medium tone wood floor home design photo in Boston with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, medium tone wood cabinets, quartz countertops, white backsplash, subway tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and an island

Nursery - contemporary nursery idea in Charlotte with gray walls

Inspiration for a cottage garage remodel in San Francisco

Teal, white and silver living room decor': white faux leather sectional (reupholstered by gprattdesigns) with teal and white throw pillows, silver faux leather croc sofa table custom made by gprattdesigns.

An eclectic and comfy remodel I shot for designer Emmy Callero (www.emiliadecor.com/)
Eclectic living room photo in Portland

The grasscloth we installed was "Nature Pre'cieuse" RM634 from E'litis. Paint color is Benjamin Moore "Iron Mountain". Design by Martina Lorey Architects Inc. of El Paso. Photo bu ProBilt Construction LLC.