I may prefer a subdued and mostly neutral palette for my own apartment, but I love to dive into color for the right client. Erin has a love for exotic textiles and jewel-tones, and when she hired me to carve out space in their living room for a new arrival, I had a lot of fun.

Erin was worried that her love of different textiles, colors and styles might compete in a small space that had to cover many functions (living room, dining room, guest room, home office, and nursery – that’s New York for you!). Personally I think variety only adds character, but I did dial back on some of the different colors and tried to stick to purples, golds, and navy for the base pieces. The existing sofa is already navy. For a desk solution (Erin wanted an extra-deep desk) we’re going DIY with Ikea legs and a plywood top with a pop of fuchsia.

Here’s the floor plan (pretend the rug in the diagram is actually that chevron rug, above):

Luckily they don’t use the door in the corner, so we were able to block it with the sofa (it’s currently blocked by a desk). The baby area is in the back corner. Erin will use the navy curtains hung from the ceiling to block light to that corner during naptime (when they’re all open it will look like a special little tent!) and the dresser (bottom middle) can be used for baby stuff while the top could be used as a buffet for a party. We also are bringing in extra seating because along with babies come lots of visitors!

Thanks, Erin and her husband for stretching my space-planning skills and for letting me go a little crazy with color. Erin’s a photographer so hopefully we’ll see after pictures soon!

I had so much fun pulling together this non-conventional nursery for my client Laurie and her husband. They are expecting a little boy but wanted to steer clear of powder blue. The room also had to accommodate a double size guest bed (and place to crash after late-night feedings). We went for a sophisticated palette of charcoal, navy, and orange with just a touch of yellow.

In my search for a glider for the room, I realized what most of you mom’s probably know: Gliders are UGLY. Sure, you can find cute(ish) gliders but they will be 10-20 times the cost of a basic glider. In Laurie’s case, she has a toddler and needs the glider to be stationary at times to avoid pinching little fingers and toes, ruling out many of the fancier “chair-like” gliders. So this is my memo to Babies R Us and children’s furniture manufacturers: Can you please make highly functioning gliders that don’t look like something you’d find in a diaper? And offer color options beyond PINK and BABY BLUE? And not price them over $1500?

To combat the standard-issue glider situation, I suggested that Laurie dress it up by tossing a sheepskin over the back and over the ottoman. Other options (if you want to spend a little more) would be having it reupholstered or having a custom cushion made with your choice of fabric.

I don’t disclose all the shopping sources on the blog (not fair to my clients) but I do want to do a shout-out for fellow blogger and artist, Lindsay, who makes the customized ABC print seen above. Such a sweet touch for a child’s room.

Every designer who offers this service does it a little differently, so I thought I’d share how I work. I’ve been offering e-design services for a few years, and through several tweaks have come up with what I think is the best of both worlds. I offer a flat-rate e-decorating bundle as well as hourly services. I’ll point out the differences of the two as we go. You can also check out my e-decorating page for the specifics and pricing

(a sample design board)

Beginning

Once a client has agreed to work with me, I charge up-front for the flat-rate design. My hourly services include this flat-rate as step one, so they pay this portion up-front as well, then continue into hourly billing. After payment, my client fills out a pretty rigorous survey of their design likes and dislikes, how they want the room to feel, what kind of changes they are looking for, etc. I also include instructions for photographing and measuring the space. Clients send back all this info, including a ton of photos (sometime even video) and measurements for the room they’ve chosen to work on. For e-design, I work on a room-by-room basis.

After reviewing all the info they’ve sent me and playing with a couple ideas, I usually have follow-up questions. I may send possible inspiration rooms for them to yay or nay, or even a product, just to make sure I’m on the right path. Altogether, this takes a few days once I have all the pieces.

Middle

This is when the fun really starts. Time tables vary, but can be 2 weeks to 2 months depending on the scope of the project and all the parts involved. Once I have my main jumping-off point (a great inspiration room, a fabric I really want to use, a solution to a big problem in the room), I start putting the rest of the design together. Budgets and the number of pieces I’m looking for vary wildly from client to client! Sometimes I’ll save 10 different coffee tables before narrowing it down to the best one. During this time I also work on the best floor plan for the space. Sometimes it’s really simple and comes together naturally. For some rooms, it’s the hardest part! I usually create a to-scale computer version and then hand-sketch it to add any notations. I may also include little sketches of how to style certain areas if I feel strongly about how it comes together. Then I put it all in a document: design board (images of the recommended pieces and color palette), floor plan(s), a extensive written description of how it all should be put together and why, and sometimes some inspiration pics and “before” pics.

End

For flat-rate clients, this is where my work ends. After I “deliver” the design plan I’m happy to answer questions (even months later!) but for the most part, the client implements the design on their own timetable, and sometimes with modifications to fit their budget (hey, if you can find a similar dresser on Craigslist, more power to ya!).

For hourly clients, this is where the hourly rates kick in: sourcing specific products. Once the client ok’s the design, we may decide to go with the exact pieces I’ve recommended, or look for similar or different pieces to fit their budget and taste specifically. I’ll also work with them to get custom pillows and drapes made, source Craigslist finds in their local area, help coordinate the ordering and purchasing of items, and then provide more specific instructions for styling and arranging the items (we may even do some of that via Skype or phone “face-time” if possible.

If you’ve ever wondered how the process works, that’s it! And here’s what some of my e-decorating clients have said (you can see my full testimonials page here):

“Working with Maggie on a e-decorating guide was a process I would recommend to anyone!  The design board was just the inspiration we needed to finally transform our room and having a detailed list of what to look for took out all the stress of decorating. She did a great job of combining the scattered and conflicting ideas my boyfriend and I had for our bedroom, and came up with something we both liked.  Maggie worked within our measly student budget and was still able to find great pieces that would add some life into our bland bedroom.  We ended up with a relaxing color palette and modern additions that fit our style perfectly. If I ever need decorating advice again I won’t hesitate to use Maggie’s service!” – Liz, Bedroom

“Maggie was wonderful to work with. She made sure that she knew our tastes very well before she began, and this was reflected in her design. We were thrilled with what she came up with for our dining room. She definitely helped us make the transition from my old bachelorette pad decor by elevating it to something more sophisticated and adult.” – Christina & Dennis, Dining Room

“Maggie took a cold, uninviting space and transformed it into a warm, welcoming guest room via her e-decorating services.  From across the country, she chose furniture and accessories to fit my minimal budget and without ever seeing the room in person, it all just worked. She broke it down into easy, manageable steps and provided a comprehensive shopping list for the stores that I like to shop. I was able to transform our room in a few short weeks and have gotten tons of compliments on Maggie’s design!” – Shannon, Guest Room

Ready to have me work on your “problem” room? Just contact me to get started!

As part of our site redesign, I’m making some changes to the virtual services we offer. In case you’ve been waiting to sign on for your room design, I wanted to give everyone a head’s up.

After Friday, June 17th, I will no longer be offering the Trimmings package or Express Decorating.

These two packages have been the least popular. However, I will be adding the option to book my design services hourly, even for virtual, long-distance clients. So if you don’t need a whole room overhaul but just need an item or two sourced, we’ll be able to do that on an hourly basis.

If you’re interested in a Trimmings or Express Decorating package, you have until Friday night to purchase!

Christina and her hubby Dennis have all their dining room furniture already but they needed some help accessorizing and bringing it to life. They love to use it for entertaining, but don’t use it for everyday dining, so it needed some kind of decoration when they weren’t using it. Since we were only accessorizing, they booked me for a Small Space Design package.

Here’s the room (before):

And here’s my proposed design:

In short, they’ll be painting the whole room a dark gray, replacing the curtains with these citron ones, getting rid of all lighting fixtures and having a new pendant and ceiling medallion installed (centered over the table this time!), and hanging new art on the wall to the right. Since Christina and Dennis are talented artists and screenprint posters and other designs, they’ll frame some of their own favorite pieces (those are three above).

On the table, they’ll have a rotation of this sculpture, placemats, and bowl (which will also play double-duty when they throw a party). By the front door (not pictured), we’ll hang a hook and keep a wooden tray available in the built-in nook for keys, spare change, etc.

I loved designing this space for two creative and fun-loving people! I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Interested in my e-decorating services? Read about them here.

If you’re doing a little spring cleaning in the next couple of weeks, it’s a great time to get an outside opinion on your current furnishings and accessories (especially right before garage sale season!). Discount applies to e-decorating (reflected in listed prices) and in-person design (20% off total design hours on your invoice).

Whether you’re looking to overhaul your room or just spruce it up, I have a design package for you. Review the packages and buy here on my e-decorating page. If you don’t see the right mix, email me and we’ll come up with a custom quote just for you. I can’t wait to see your room!

Psst! Read through my client testimonials for an idea of what it’s like to work with me!

The room:

My design:

We created two distinct seating areas using the chairs she already had by the fireplace, ditching the boxy chair, and creating another new seating area by the bookshelves using a petite sofa, new slipper chair, and recovering a chair they already had. The piano moved farther down the wall – the space right by the doorway was filled with a new console (perfect for entertaining, as this room feeds into the dining room) and two brass lamps were topped with red shades.

I hope you enjoy seeing a glimpse of my client work from time to time. Not all clients like having their homes up on the blog (especially the before pictures) but I do like to share when I get the go-ahead. Lots of common design dilemmas to be shared, like this long and narrow room that also serves as a walkway from entry hall to dining room.

Interested in getting your own home decorated virtually? My e-decorating packages are all listed here. If you’re in/near Seattle, I’m for hire by the hour!

This is a design board I prepared for an e-decorating client in Australia this month. Katie had a spare room that she wanted to start using as an office and extra place to watch tv or movies. All the furniture was leaving the room, so except for the armchairs that were coming in from a different part of the house, we were starting from scratch.

One challenge with the room was the size – it was pretty small for a multi-purpose room. Katie’s original idea was to include three armchairs in the room. I was able to prepare a to-scale floorplan with that in mind and we determined that in practice, the three armchairs would be too crowded. So we scaled back to two chairs and centered the new desk along the back wall where it would have space to breathe. How many times have we known “exactly” what a room will look like when visualizing it, only to have the layout look much different in actuality? Without moving any furniture upstairs, we were able to determine a better plan.

Katie loves color, so I tried to keep this room light and fresh so it would be a fun place to hang out. The floral fabric will be  made into a curtain to replace less than exciting sliding closet doors. Three floating shelves will be a place to keep some attractive office storage without taking up any floor space. And little glass side tables will take up very little visual space, all easy tricks for people with small rooms. Although Katie plans to get this white Ikea cabinet for a DVD player and place the tv on top of it, another space-saving trick would be to mount the tv on the wall if you don’t have additional media equipment that needs storage.

I also love the addition of natural touches to this room. The walls will be painted a soft green. The natural feeling of the rattan chairs compliments the bamboo blinds and woven trashcan, and the birch frames help tie it all together.

If you’re interested in my e-decorating services, I am here to help you with your home decorating ideas and problems! I can help make your space feel bigger, more inviting, and more like you – but don’t just take my word for it! Check out our testimonials page to hear from past clients.

First up, they were planning to relocate the desk, tv, and replace the coffee table with something I suggested. They have a great sofa that just needs new upholstery. They needed new lighting and to ditch the existing overhead lighting. Because they have pets, they preferred to not add a rug (but that would be a great way to define the space if they ever decide to add one).

Jadyn and her hubby love to travel and come from interesting cultural backgrounds that they wanted to celebrate. Jadyn loved the idea of a worn-in Parisian apartment (think “Before Sunset”) and I loved the idea of lots of books (of course). They were keeping the red wall and we decided to add some blue accents. I divided her design boards into three groupings – sofa and seating, bookshelves and red wall, and accessories.

Sofa and seating:

The sofa will be reupholstered in a neutral beige and the cushions converted into two long cushions for the seat and back. The blue batiks and ikat will be throw pillows. The leather chair will likely be thrifted, as will a petite wingback chair and trunk (to be used as a coffee table).

Bookshelves:

They will add another shelf that matches the existing ones to give a sense of built-ins. They will also stock up on books to fill the shelves out a bit. Jadyn loved my idea of thrifting for globes to highlight their travel. To the right of the shelves, two large frames with vintage prints will hang only a few inches apart, stacked vertically but oriented horizontally. I loved this print from Vintage Printables, a free source of art (but then you have to get it printed/framed yourself).

Accessories:

All the windows will get linen curtains hung on rubbed bronze rods. Matching vintage lamps (I die!) will flank the sofa. The dark ledge shelves will be painted white and cover the wall surrounding the entrance to the dining room with a mixture of frames (like this inspiration photo from Lonny). I loved the idea of incorporating French language flash cards, as France is something that Jadyn and her hubby have in common. Behind the leather chair, this gorgeous lamp will provide some reading light.

Here’s my rough sketch of the floorplan:

I had a lot of fun decorating this world-traveler Parisian inspired apartment. Jadyn has already scored some of the pieces, so I can’t wait to see how it all turns out!

Want to hire me to decorate your home online? Visit my edecorating page for packages and pricing. Locals in the Seattle and Tacoma area, I have limited availability to do some in-person designing, so email me if you’re interested!