Oh no you di-in't!!!

So let's have a little chat about bathroom mats. These are NOT o.k. It's time to let them go. I understand wanting to feel something soft underfoot, but what about when strangers come into your home? And step on them with their dirty shoes? What about when...well, ahem..when a male uses the facilities and has aiming problems? These little mats are outdated and harbor germs and just gotta go.

The only thing that is o.k. is a white bath mat. Hang it over the tub (white, so that it blends in) and throw it down before you are ready to step on it. It's much cleaner, tidier and a more modern approach to traditional bathroom rugs.

Just say no to the fuzzy carpeted ones. Try these:

These lovely little ladies are from Restoration Hardware

West Elm has some lovely WHITE ones, don't be tempted by that baby blue

This one, from Vita Futura works as well

Please, for me, don't do this:

or this:

And this is never ok:

My eyes are burning right now from these hideous pictures. Take this info and run with it, don't be offended, just get updated! Trust me, people have wanted to tell you this before, but didn't want to offend you.

The Beauty is in the Details

This weekend I finally got around to doing one or two things that have been on my to do list for what seems like FOREVER. One of those things was ordering a new bedskirt for my bed. I previously had a cheapo version from Target that I dyed a custom color to match some of the fabrics in our bedroom. I definitely got what I paid for and once I ripped the carpet out of our bedroom, the bedskirt really looked like a bad pair of flood pants!

Cut to today when I put the new and improved version of my bedskirt on the bed, with the help of my husband. As soon as he saw it, he remarked that I was definitely going to like the old one better. "WHAT?" I yelled incredulously, "THAT PIECE OF CRAP?" while the mattress was precariously balanced on my head as I draped the new bedskirt onto the box spring. He then made some comment about a dark brown bedskirt with blonde dog and cat hairs all over it. And at that moment, the mattress dropped, the new skirt was on and beautiful and...ALREADY COVERED IN BLONDE ANIMAL HAIR!!!!!

Why does my husband have to tell me these things? I am an INTERIOR DESIGNER, for Pete's sake! I should know all and above everything else, I should definitely think of these things for myself, (the perfect client) right? Wrong. It's like everything else, the shoemaker's children with no shoes, blah blah blah.

So the point of this blog is this: The details are EVERYTHING. Many of you don't have an interior designer, but you have me to tell you; think about these things before you make your home interior purchases.

Do you have pets with black hair? You might want to re-think that white rug/carpet/light colored wood flooring.

Does your baby like to spit up or drool on every available surface? Then make all of those surfaces easy to clean. Crypton, Ultra-Suede and Scotchgard are your friends, my friend.

Do you love those gorgeous mirrored furniture pieces that are everywhere these days?

Think twice or even three times, before purchasing these pieces. The fingerprints are irritating and everywhere. If you do choose one of these pieces, make it something that is more of a decorative piece and out of the way. Not your cocktail table. Unless you have someone cleaning for you - then you can have 25 mirrored pieces! Who cares!?!

Do you love dark brown furniture and wood finishes? Las Vegas is a very dusty area. I bought ebony stained furniture for my master bedroom and between the pet hair and Las Vegas dust and construction residue, I have to dust 3-4 times PER WEEK! Perhaps more of a walnut toned furniture piece will work a bit better for you.

Modern chrome faucets are amazing

but if people are actually using them and touching them all the time, the fingerprint issue is out of control. Sorry, I know I'm totally Debbie Downer at this point, but you will thank me in the long run.

We don't want to be slaves to our interiors. Our homes need to be a place where we are comforted and can relax. Not where we look around and are irritated or dismayed by the wear and tear of everything around us. Do yourself a favor and be somewhat practical when making your interior purchases.