Linda Loves Letters !

Q. There is a photo on HGTV.com's Designer's Portfolio page of a room you designed which they call an "eclectic living area." I have been trying to achieve a look like this by combining different elements and colors, but when I do it, it just looks jumbled and busy. Can you give me any pointers on how to achieve this casual but pulled-together look? Thank you.

A. In this room (pictured above), there are many examples of one of my most trusted design mantras: good design repeats itself. While there is a lot going on here, it is not overwhelming to the eye because of the way many of the design elements are repeated. For instance, the original fireplace was simply a box on the wall. We added the overmantel and angled the top of it to reflect the angle of the pitched ceiling. In the furnishings, the curves on the coffee table legs, lamps, ottomans and chairs offset the straight lines of the square niches. And, I often use neutral colors, such as the black lamp, side table and monkey and the dark gray fireplace screen, to ground strong colors in a room. BTW, there are more photos of this architecturally interesting guest house on our website. Go to Portfolio, Architectural Design and scroll down to "Large-scale Luxury." Have fun combining your elements!

Q. I just saw the amazing transformation you did on an episode of Curb Appeal called "Escape from 1950."  Can you tell me the paint colors you used on the exterior of that home? What a difference! 

A. Thank you, that was a fun project. Those colors are from the Sherwin Williams Exterior Color Answers deck. The house color is SW2061 Nightingale and the trim is SW2193 Eaglet Beige (Curb Appeal episode #1305.) 

Q. In your website's portfolio section, under Interior Design, European Country, there is a picture of a dining room chair with the cutest slipcover that looks like the back of a dress, with buttons and a collar. I have not been able to find anything like it. Is there a pattern for these slipcovers?

A. The little "sundress slipcovers" are from my own dining room (pictured below). We designed them to add a whimsical balance to the more formal European antiques in the room, and also serve as a frilly contrast to the straight lines of the blue leather chairs. I asked Laurie Soldmann, the talented person who created the slipcovers, how you might achieve the look. Laurie suggested finding a pattern for a slipcover with a skirt that fits your chairs, and modifying it with holes at the "shoulders" and the "neck." Then add the collar and some cute buttons down the back and a fun fringe at the bottom. Our buttons actually open and close, but they don't need to, as long as the cover can slide over the chair. And don't forget to have fun mixing and matching the fabrics. We used different colorways of the same pattern, mixing the collars, armholes, welts, buttons and fringe so no two slipcovers are alike.