Photographs  by Adam Gibb for Gardens West Magazine in summer of 2007/published in summer 2008.
My garden has never been so beautiful!
In winter, it's still an inviting space.
There is always a beginning and it isn't always pretty.  Then there is a middle-point and the never-ending end
but isn't that part of the joy of decorating?  Change is fun and finding new uses for existing art, furniture, accessories while redesigning your space (without bringing in anything new) is always an adventure.  It's also a great way to declutter. Once moved, perhaps it shouldn't go back.  I have spent the past 10 months rejuvinating my home, one room at a time.  Because there isn't any place to put furniture while a room is being repainted, it was a long process and allowed me time to consider what had been in each room and how much I was willing to put back.  3 week-ends of veranda sales at a friends, I had a lot less 'stuff' and the profits paid for the paint job. 
I fondly refer to the asian inspired Yoke Chair as 'the invisible chair'.  Wanting something large on this wall to minimize its size but not take away from the minimalist look I'd accomplished, the chair was on sale and I knew when I saw it, it wasn't white as labelled.
It matched the wall perfectly and the pillow pops as my new red accent.

The upper left image was the living room when I moved in.  The blank slate showed me its huge potential.  The tiny window at the back of the room was replaced with double garden creating a more open and lighter room but the later addition of a screened porch with a 16' ceiling darkened that area again.  By that time, I'd added drama and we settled in to what felt like a beautiful cave.  When the kitchen renovation became a reality, all rooms leading to and from it became involved and a long thought over paint color and paintable wallpaper replaced the various darker choices I'd made previously.  Every surface including the ceilings were painted in this lovely,  warm gray and the cave was no more.
'Silkweed' (Rona) is the long pondered color used throughout the house and it's brighter, particularly on
the all too frequent dull, rainy days we've seen so much of this past year.  The rooms feel more spacious, lighter  and suggest a more grand footprint than our meagre 926 sq.ft. home.  When introducing a new accent color to your space and don't want it to jumping out at you, use it in small amounts throughout the whole space and you'll see just enough to realize what a great idea it was.  The kitchen wall, shown below left, has a 'red' decal on it creating a whimsical focal point above the island.
Red is definitely not a "me" color or so I believed but once installed, we found the color cheerful, even brave and have used it sparingly but repeatedly throughout all the main floor rooms including the red bamboo carpets at  both front and back entrances.
The red doors, front and back have been there for 10 years or more.


The white, blank and uninspired house, many years later,  has grown up.


Many changes and years later, the house
has a new face and a lot less going on.  Never will I be called a minimalist but there is a lighter, calmer feel to the space and just enough eclectic energy  to say "it's home and this is who we are!"
PS:  I've changed it 3 times since this.  It's as much fun as shopping and doesn't cost anything and you don't have to leave the house!
Charlotte's Place
  Landscape & Interior Decor
Consultant
"a work in progress"
making home your favorite place to be
        
OUTSIDE
If searching for a dream space without all the frustration; a place where function and aesthetic meld taking you from where you are to where you wish to be?  Often with an hours consult, or perhaps a more detailed plan, I can help you turn in a boring or badly designed space into one you have trouble leaving.  We'll fixate on a course of action to personalize your outdoor room showing how to utilize your space to its optimum potential and make it an extension of your home.  It's just another room with walls of living greenery, ceilings of tree canopies and blue sky and the flooring is whatever you wish.    Low maintenance and functionality are always a major focus. Remember not to overcapitalize in any renovation project, particularly if you're planning to sell your home. You may have a grand space but may not be able to  recover your costs if selling.  Inviting landscaping can add considerable value to your property but only to those who want a garden.  The person buying our home, whenever that may be is going to have to LOVE it more than I do.  Always work within your budget; being creative doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune! I truly aspire to do what I can to make a garden a low maintenance space where pleasure is the theme, enjoyment the past time and cost the least of your concerns.
 


INSIDE
Revitalize and re-invent your home by changing paint colors or rearranging furniture. Have you fallen in
love with the last ten houses you've walked through just to see the interior.  Those homes are staged specifically to
reach the broadest spectrum of potential buyers and the choices they made are for a very reason.  Cohesive colors blend to make rooms appear larger, unfussy furnishings and simple accessories allow you to visualize YOUR stuff in that room. If you're just checking out to see what's new and go home again, you're going to be disappointed.  Why not create a new space and reinvent your home. Removing 'stuff' from any given room, repainting or not, with VERY CAREFUL and selective thought given to the 'stuff' put back, you will achieve a fresh look reusing your own things.  Editing is a cathartic experience.  Think before you put all those pictures back. Over accessorizing is a common design error made by many, including professionals. The most important aspect of home design is comfort and function regardless of current trends. If you're moving and need your house to
show it's potential, edit, depersonalize and declutter the space until it's decorated sufficienly but waiting for the buyer to visualize their furniture in it.  If all they see is you, they will be distracted.  We've all seen a HGTV home buying or selling show where something as simply as a bright red wall or a small bedroom so cluttered with junk, it reads like a messy closet.  Those people aren't likely coming back. 
There is excellent information to be gleaned from these shows whether you're moving or redecorating.
Selling, buying or stay right where you are, I can help you reinvent your home, one room at a time.
  "Remember there is no such thing as a space too small"!