WEEKLY NEWSCAST

DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

After the holidays , as we approach the long winter, I wish for peace and less clutter.  So I often don't replace all of my accessories when I remove the Christmas  decorations and sometimes I  exchange the living room lamps with the bedroom lamps.    I give everything a good cleaning, put into view my favorite things, switch other  things, add several  warm throws and settle in to enjoy the quiet. 

ROOM OF THE WEEK:

 

 

   

WEEKLY NEWSCAST


DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

Painting one wall a deep, vibrant color can give a room a whole new look.  Recently I selected a deep green color for the wall dividing a customer's living room and dining room and trimmed the inside edges of the five foot arched  opening a deep red (which was the wall color used in  the dining room)...It looked wonderful and made her taupe living room (with green accents) very dramatic.



PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

This is a guest room using these deep reds and greens together.

WEEKLY NEWSCAST



DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

I enjoy working with people who have collected art, photos, prints...things that are personal to them and that they really like...then we can have them framed and hang them on the walls  or display them on easels on tables or in bookshelves... and then  their homes truly represent them.  These things add so much interest to their interiors.


PICTURE OF THE WEEK:
from the Music Series
by Heide Browne
"Il Trovatore" by Verdi
28 x 22 oil and metallic pen
$1,200

 

WEEKLY NEWSCAST



DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

As the holidays approach and holiday decorating will soon be tackled, I find it a good time to de-clutter...to make more space, both for the enjoyment of quieter rooms and also it makes room for the decorations.  This year I think more simple decorations are returning...Christmas trees where the green of the tree shows...still beautifully adorned, but not so fully covered.  I am creating a tree with natural decorations this year, pine cones, acorn caps, feathers, magnolia seed pods,  and one tiny ornamental owl made of feathers...surrounded with clear white lights.  So my tip is, pick your favorite things and  give yourself permission to simplfy if you wish and go with the joy and ease and quiet  beauty of the season.


PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

"Music Unfolding"
by Heide Browne
Acrylic and metallic on Tara paper
22 x 28
$700

WEEKLY NEWSCAST


DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

I am reading a book about Japanese houses.  This architecture is  where the "less is more" thought originated and though I won't re-create this quiet and minimalist look in total in my American house, I am de-cluttering...removing 5 things from each room...even removing  the accumulation of extra magnets and stuff on the refrigerator :"quietened" the kitchen.  So my "tip of the week" is "let your minimalist side shine"


PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

"Vanishing Patter"
by Heide Browne
28 x 22 oil on Tara paper
$1,200

WEEKLY NEWSCAST


DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

"Don't give up on your dreams"  I work with a client who built a fabulous, large  contemporary home high on  a hill overlooking the city...and he dreamed of having a grand piano...and try as we might, we  could not fit a piano into his living room...but now, 3 years later he has found a "mini grand" piano and it is being delivered tomorrow!...complete with piano lessons.  I'm meeting them for the installation and to see about finding a new smaller chair for the living room corner that the piano will occupy.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

"Music Unfolding"
by Heide Browne
22 x 28 Acrylic on Tara Paper
$700

WEEKLY NEWSCAST


DESIGN TIP:

AS THE WEATHER TURNS COLD WE WILL ALL BE INSIDE MORE,  ENJOYING OUR HOMES...SO I RECOMMEND DE-CLUTTERING  AND MAKING SPACE FOR THE HOLIDAYS...REARRANGE THE FURNISHINGS IN  THEIR BEST WINTER LAYOUT.


PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

BERLIOZ SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE
BY HEIDE BROWNE
22 X 28 ACRYLIC AND SILVER ON TARA PAPER
$900

WEEKLY NEWSCAST


DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

When you want to have a new look, without much expense, I recommend changing the wall paint color...a room with pale gold walls can be revitalized with a deep taupe paint  and all of the furnishings and accessories will look brand  new.


PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

Music Series by Heide Browne
"Johann Strauss:  Gypsy Baron"
acrylic on Tara paper 22 x 28
$900

WEEKLY NEWSCAST


DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

"Follow your heart"...whatever style, color, look that catches your fancy, go for it!...As a professional designer I can help you create your vision, by using the colors and styles and personal items that you like and arranging them in a way to make beautiful rooms that resonate with YOU.  This is a photo of a client's dining room that we created together in her favorite  style.   

 

 

 

 

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

Wagner: Flying Dutchman, Act III
Oil  on Tara paper
22 x 28
by Heide  Browne
$1,200

WEEKLY NEWSCAST


DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

Rich, dark  brown is a wonderful color for bedrooms...both large and small.  I just completed a very large bedroom for a client using dark chocolate paint with a cream linen upholstered headboard and a claret red bed covering.  It is very elegant.
And I helped a friend choose her rich "chocolate truffle" paint in her small bedroom, with crisp white trim and white linen curtains, accented with gold framed paintings.
Both rooms, large and small  are elegant and welcoming.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

Music Series by Heide Browne
Wagner's Flying Dutchman
22 x 28 Oil on Tara paper
$1,200

DESIGN NEWSCAST

I've been remiss in not "posting" as of late.  I've been busy on design projects and also rehearsing for the Symphony Chorus performance of Mahler 8... it is really beutiful and really hard music.
And speaking of music, my friend and artist Heide Browne will have an art show opening on September 8th, 1-4 pm at Nouveau Classics Furniture on Belmont Blvd and it features her "music series" paintings which she painted while listening to classical music and each composer inspired a very different painting!

Here is the Verdi one
It is  inspired by "Il Travatore", oil on Tara paper
22 x 28
$1,200

DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

I have just redecorated my own bedroom and painted it a deep yellow which was a very new color for me to use, so it felt risky, but right and I am "loving every miniute of it"...It is warm, in fact it is named "Warm Cocoon" by Behr.  I have new "tiger print" sheets, an African mask, a giraffe and other exotic accessories including a bamboo pole used as my drapery rod.  It was fun and I'm really enjoying living in it.
So go with what you are wanting, what you are drawn to and create a space that is truly YOUR OWN!

DESIGN NEWSCAST

DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

This week I am featuring  a high rise condominium.   I designed a home  with my client and his wife and family many years ago.  This year his wife died after a long illness through  which he took care of her.  He decided to sell their large home and move into a downtown condominium.  I "photo"  inventoried all of their beautiful furnishings and  was told "pick whatever you want to use".  He was still grieving and having a hard time, but things  became easier as the months went on and the new condo was painted and made ready.  He became excited about his new home and we worked closely together to bring all of the furnishings, antiques,  accessories and art  that meant the most to him.  We added  a new sofa, comfy tv chair, new dining room furniture and a new upholstered headboard.  We featured his silver coffee urn that they had bought on a trip together. And we used  the two French chests that had been in their living room  as elegant  nightstands in his master bedroom.   We were even able to use  their  large Oriental screen. His grown sons helped with the process, advising him of the latest technologies and he is now settled into his  new home with surround sound and views of the city skyline.    I was so happy  to help him make his new home beautiful and meaningful.      

WEEKLY NEWSCAST


DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:
When hanging picture groupings I arrange all the pictures/items  on the floor first  to get an idea of how they will look on the wall...then I hang the two that are in the middle first and arrange the others around them.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

"Mozart" by Heide Browne
in the Music Series
33 x 28
Metallic Pen and Oil
$650

WEEKLY NEWSCAST

DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

We are having beautiful spring weather and I find myself outside as often as possible.  So my " interior design thoughts" have turned to gardening and my deck.  I've purchased new lounge chairs and also scrubbed my table and four chairs, primed the rusty spots and put on a new coat of white paint.  So  my design tip is "get everything outside  freshened up and ready to enjoy for  the season".

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

"Mind and Emotion"
by Heide Browne
Oil and Silver on canvas
46 x 32
$1,200

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WEEKLY NEWSCAST

DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

During this gorgeous spring weather, my interior design tip is about exterior design.  I recommend making your patio/deck/yard as beautiful and comfortable as possible...with seating and tables that accommodate dining, needlework, reading and cloud staring!...And brown, green and black outdoor furnishings blend well with the natural landscape...white furnishings stand out.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

"Strauss' Gypsy Baron" from the music series
by Heide Browne
28 x 24
Acrylic
$400

WEEKLY NEWSCAST

DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:

I recommend buying 2 sets of furniture glides (those round plastic discs with foam rubber on the top).  They make moving heavy sofas, armoires, chests, marble topped coffee tables a breeze and allow me to really try out several furniture arrangements without having to hire a crew of moving men.


PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

Energy From Cooperation
by Heide Browne
46 x 32, Oil and Silver on canvas
$1,200

NEWSCAST

DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:
When doing a tile backsplash in the kitchen, I like to take the tile all the way up...to the bottom of the uppercabinets and all the way to the ceiling behind an exposed hood...it makes the space seem much larger and quieter without so many broken up, horizontal lines.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:
Original Needlepoint Design
by Heide Browne
12 x 12
$95

NEWSCAST

DESIGN TIP OF THE WEEK:
Enjoy what you do.  The planning and thinking about all the design options can be most enjoyable.  And then call a designer to help you hone in on your vision and to help your vision become reality

STORY OF THE WEEK:

The Whitney Chronicles - Pumpkin Again, Part Two
by Beverly Anderson

I left you in this  pumpkin story  I was emailing to  my friend, when I was just beginning to make the crusted pumpkin wedges recipe. 
I mix the bread crumbs, spices, garlic to top the wedges...which are to be laid on parchment paper...of which I have none...foil will have to serve.  So I've covered the cookie sheets with foil and arranged the "slightly irregular, but almost cresent shaped wedges" in neat rows.  Now to brush them with olive oil...well, the second thing my kitchen lacks...a brush...and I don't think Heide will want me to fill one of her art brushes with olive oil??...so my fingers will have to serve.  I "brush" each slice after dipping my fingers in oil...then I sprinkle on the bread crumb mixture, pat it down as instructed and  get ready to place the two cookie sheets in the preheated to 375 degree oven...now to bake...but their is a slight amount...actually a rather large amount of smoke pouring out of the oven since in my flurry of activity this morning, I decided to clean the oven and now that film of oven spray is burning off...I wonder what those chemicals will do to the wedges?  Nevermind, I'll just let it burn off a little while, then slide in the trays of wedges.
Whew...That's done...and the kitchen is a wreck...cannisters on the table (which had to be moved from the island)...pumpkin seeds and stringly pulp everywhere...no dishrag to be found...they are all in the washer...no space on the kitchen table to sit down and enjoy a mug of coffee...no coffee...and all the mugs are in the sink soaking...since I decided that they too needed a thorough washing along with the glassware that is still in the dishwasher.  This dishwasher takes about 2 hours to complete it's cycle...and now it is to the drying stage...which means it is adding hot steamy spray to the overly warm and active kitchen...I'm going outside!...to check to see if I have any squirrels who might enjoy pumpkin pieces...and how small do I have to cut them for the squirrels to be able to cart them off?  I'm really getting tired of hacking on this pumpkin!  But the cooking wedges smell wonderful and they look wonderful, too...and they are almost ready to come out of the oven.   Ah...Delicious!...very delicious!...topped with sourcream mixed with dill...but I have a confession...pumpkin does not have much taste at all, it is the flavorful topping and the sourcream that taste good.   All those spices, garlic and lemon zest.  I should keep this topping recipe to go on some more worthwhile vegetable or meat...But I'll admit, these wedges are good enough to make another batch..the squirrels will just have to wait.  I must carve some more wedges...
Four hours later and the kitchen is almost cleaned up...the laundry is folded...the glassware is back on the shelves...the mugs are hanging on their hooks...and I have enough pumpkin wedges to feed an army...or maybe my bookclub..where are they?  I don't think these wedges will keep until our January meeting...how will Heide and I ever manage to eat all these wedges?   Ah ha!...Christmas Eve is only 2 days away...they'll keep...and off to my friend Ursula's they will go!  Sourcream with dill in hand!
Well I've had success with the pumpkin project for the second year...BUT it may be my last!  I'll save the recipe for you...and I wish I could teleport some wedges your way.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK:

"American Indian"
by Heide Browne
pastel,   18 x 25
$200