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San Diego Interior Decorator/Designer, Susan Sutherlin in San Diego, California

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Sipping Coffee With the Best Business Women of San Diego

09.16.2015

Today was one of those special days when I stepped away from the interior design world in San Diego (for a short amount of time) and met up with a new group of friends, Female Bloggers and Business Owners of San Diego. What a great group of inspiring women who are successfully reaching their goals.

San Diego Female Bloggers Business Owners

We had decided to meet at a local coffee shop and cooking school where we were to have meet outdoors but this little thing were not familiar with . . . RAIN, starting falling from the sky. All of the other patrons, and very generous business owners, were very gracious about allowing us to meet indoors.

Wendy Kim Your Dream Realized

Here we have one of our inspirational women, Wendy Kim who blogs about how we all handle our money and how our emotions run more of our wallet than we are sometimes willing to admit. Go over and give Wendy’s blog a read (click here).

This new friend Karen Alix La Scola, who will also end up being the life of the party, is the owner of African Butterfly Wholesale. This kick in the pants, with energy to burn, owns a company that imports hair clips from Africa and in turn is helping those in need. I can’t wait to learn more about her company.

Here we have Princess, isn’t that a great name. She stepped away from her cubicle job about six months ago and is following her passion. She admitted that she is going to be our meeting clown . . . can’t wait. I promise to share her link when she’s ready to reveal her launched site.

There were others present that I was not able to catch shots of (didn’t want to scare them the first day I met them) but I’m so looking forward to learning and growing with these professional women.

I can’t wait to share with you tomorrow the actual Solana Beach location where we had our meeting. They’ve done a great job with the design of this neighborhood treasure that is a walk away from the beautiful Southern California beach.

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2015 Pottery Barn Colors – Some Good – Some Not So Good

09.14.2015

If you are looking for a way to quickly, and inexpensively, change a room, then paint is your answer.

For years Pottery Barn has published their favorite paint colors so I thought I would go through and highlight MY top nine among their choices. See my great BIG green checks for my go-to color choices.

Sherwin Williams Pure White paint color has always been a favorite and something I always recommend for baseboards and doors. It looks so fresh in this back door entrance area. On a side, I’m loving that French door . . . it’s on my ‘some day’ list.

If I had to pick the ‘go to’ paint color of 2015, it’s Agreeable Gray. There are very few homes that this color doesn’t look great in, especially paired with Pure White and any other shade of gray and black.

Here we see the color Whole Wheat, although I think it’s loosing it’s steam as we near 2016, it’s such a warm cuddly color, I have a lighter shade of this same color in my own home.

Go bold or go home! The color Darkroom is fun! I’m big on making a statement in a powder room and this color would be fantastic! I say go for it and use lots of stainless steel and white to bounce off of this unexpected paint choice. But please, make sure to use a non-shiny finish, shine will make you wish you hadn’t selected this dark tone.

I’ve used the color Red Bay numerous times and it’s never let me down. This particular red that has a lot of black in it, something like this should be your go to for a red.

This is like the color Red Bay and Orange got together and had a baby and they named their newborn Cayenne. It’s purdy and spicy!

Yep, this is another one of those 2015 favorites . . . big time! I actually have two walls of my studio painted in this color and am presently using it in an Encinatas beach house we are designing. I love it!

Bittersweet Chocolate, yes please. Look how great it works here in this beach front estate, but it could just as easily go into a mountain cabin retreat.

Remember – when picking any color of paint, purchase at least three colors and paint a large sample on the walls. Look at them in daylight and evening light, you will be amazed at how much they change in your own home and in the change of light.

Leave me a comment and let me know your favorite paint colors.

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Sentimental Budget Friendly Re-Design

09.09.2015

Sometimes we meet clients in the most unusual places and these very special clients were no exception.

Last year, on October 17, I had a snow accident causing me to break my leg. Lets just say it was a ‘skiing accident’ because that sounds so much better than what happened. Any how, I needed some special help getting around and my husband was my guy, especially when getting in and out of the car. One afternoon while ‘trying’ to get in the car we started laughing hysterical with our/my clumsiness. We didn’t know that a future client was watching us in the next car and getting a kick out of our joking around with each other.

Come the beginning of the year I received a phone call from our new parking lot friend. She explained that she wanted to do business with someone who laughed at ‘life’ like we had. Yep, that’s us! Of coarse, she also looked at our work on the web site.

What pulled at my heart strings during this re-design was to find out that the bedroom furniture was not to be touched, let alone replaced. When asked why, it was because it was a set purchased when this Scripps Ranch couple got married and it was going to stay with them forever. I love, and honor, that decision and commitment.

But, just about everything else was changed; a chocolate brown area rug was removed, the blue paint replaced with a golden-tan, a focal wall was made by adding a sparkly wallpaper, the ceiling fan was replaced with a stunning transitional chandelier, new table lamps, new art, and all new bedding.

Here you can see a little more of the detail in the glittery wallpaper. It’s a fantastic addition which is even more scrumptious when the evening sets in and the lights are dimmed.

In this shot you should probably take note of that television off to the right . . . it’s gone now. Also, we added sconces above the dresser that match the stunning new chandelier. The finishing touches were the new mirror and dresser accessories.

Just like in many of my other re-designs, we made sure to have all of the wired fixtures on dimmers. There is just something so soothing to have a room dimly lit at night. Lighting, is so important for every room in the house. No matter your budget, make this a priority.

This home office and sitting room are right off of the master bedroom and also needed a face-lift. In the home owners own words, “it’s just need to feel more cozy”. The room echo when I first arrived was like the room crying out to me, “fix me please”. My first suggestion was to add some window treatments, and that almost instantly took away that frosty feel in the room.

Just like the bedroom, this room gained a nice new color of paint that added to the cozy feeling the home owner was craving. We also added a new, much fuller, plant in the corner which included a new up-light. (Did you know you can get these simple, and drama making lights, at Home Depot for under $20.00.)

A new, more modern occasional table was added to the right of the chair in the corner and the owner added her own art work over the sofa. Several down-filled pillows were also brought in to make cuddling up on the sofa a great place for an afternoon nap.

Ta-Da it all came together and these Scripps Ranch home owners are thrilled with their new rooms, and one of the best parts of working with them is that I gained a friend for life. Truly, they are a very special family.

PS – I’m loving the new floor and desk lamp in this room. What do you think? I would love to hear your comments.

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