no lies Archives | Platemark Design

Decorating Emergencies – Yes, they are real and we’ve got you covered!

We always joke that interior decorating emergencies don’t exist – save for the ones we can handle. Like you move in with a significant other and your collective stuff clashes.

Unexpected Gift Ideas that always Work

I don’t mind gifts for the home. Trust me, if I was gifted a vacuum cleaner or a coffee maker or a clever kitchen gadget, I’d jump for joy! Forget jewelry, clothes, handbags and shoes, what you really want is some of this. Come along and I’ll show you … Wide Coat Hangers The small, […]

What is Luxury (in 30 Seconds or Less)?

Pretty things and expensive things get all the credit, but they’re further down on my list.

Fear is the Latest Trend

Fear is the power that fuels inertia. I read somewhere that the all-white room is a byproduct of fear.

11 Ways to Frighten a Millennial

It’s fun to make fun of millennials! Let’s look back on our dangerous lives before it was ok to wear sweatpants on airplanes.

Does your Home Match (where you are in) your Life?

I bet your wardrobe does. Or your car, your wrist watch or even your boat. What about your home? Do you hesitate to invite people over?

The Best: My Favorites from Art Display to Outdoor Grills

Back by popular demand, here’s our roundup of eight superlatives. Call them our favorite things or our go-to brands. When you seek the best, you get what you pay for and you won’t be disappointed.

Why is Ironing So Satisfying?

Attacking the noxious wrinkles with a steam wand or heavy German steam iron stirs up a feeling of gratifying satisfaction and completes with a sense of primitive accomplishment that I feel like I can conquer the world.

Are You Embarrassed to Have People Over?

Aren’t we all, at some level a bit afraid of being judged? Our homes might be the ultimate reveal into our personal attics of shame.

Isn’t Paint Just Paint?

The one thing that will completely transform a room is an exceptional paint job. It’s the type of application that people can understand and relate to, though rarely give much consideration to the varying levels of quality.

I’ll Know It When I See It

We’ve all said it, but this doesn’t work all the time, especially when a kaleidoscope of decisions must be made.

The Nickel and the Dime

The journey of interior design transformation is often more valuable and memorable than the results. This means (to me) gently and thoughtfully leading the client through a series of carefully intended doors.

What Do You Do?

When asked what I did, I would usually get the same blank stare. Not to put down that career choice, it just doesn’t incite the type of excitement and enthusiasm that saying “I’m an interior designer” does.

A Thoughtful Job Posting

Platemark has a job opening for a studio assistant. Here are the qualities and qualifications that best align with the position. Does it sound like you or someone you know?

20 Questions I Don’t Know the Answer To

There’s a lot I know – and a ton I don’t. Here’s some questions to ponder with me.

I Make Decisions for a Living

A decorated home that consists of, say, 350 elements is actually 3,500 decisions. Or more. Probably more.

Before Company Arrives, Review This Checklist

Our homes never looks as good as when company arrives. Or as worse as just a few hours before. Here’s my “fluffing” routine, as I refer to it. Be sure the bathroom is fresh. This means wiping down the water marks around the sink, tidying up and providing fresh towels and a full roll of […]

What I’ve Learned From Professional Photo Shoots

It’s Not All Smoke and Mirrors My first assumption was, when flipping through shelter and home magazines, that nothing was “real”. Objects were dropped in at will, computers applied the magic wand tool to anything that didn’t show well. Cords and switches were scratched out. Not the case, well, usually. Lights Out I often get […]

Things I Wish I’d Known Before Becoming a Designer

This isn’t a post steeped in regret, pause or grudge. Rather, I entered this business quite deliberately, with much enthusiasm and energy. I never imagined having a job that I truly loved and for which I had Purpose. I also never had a mentor or Master Designer to work under and learn. My approach has […]

Ignore Sunk Costs When Making New Decisions

We hold on to decisions from the past. Usually, I imagine, because there’s a complicated series of (emotional) connections we have to the value of things, and more importantly, what our relationship is to money and how we choose to spend it. I’m in the business of physical transformation and change. And at the time […]

Video Killed the Radio Star

And customization is killing the luxury mass production stars. Is an $8K purse really luxury? Really? Is it even made out of leather? Are they completely hand-stitched? Is the hardware and buckles one of a kind? Can you have a say in the dimensions or how long the strap will be? What if you wanted it in […]

Here’s My Design Bucket List

I get to dream up a lot of fun creations from project to project. I keep an informal list of all the fun things I’d love to do in a space. Of course not every project finds it appropriate or maybe they just end up on the cutting room floor due to circumstances like time or […]

The Ultimate Luxury: Lack of Choice

We now spend most of our time … clicking the “compare” button so we can ruminate over decisions within our decisions. Until we’re paralyzed by them.

Why Does Everything Take So Long?

We’re so impatient. Trust me, I’m the worst in that regard. Though ironically I’m perfectly suited for this job because I aim my shepherding powers directly at the vendors, service providers and manufacturers I work with on behalf of clients. There’s a reason everything takes so long and I’m going to tell you why, in painful detail. […]

Shut Up About Marble Countertops Already

I love marble. Everything about the natural, ancient quality of its surface. The porous, timeworn signs of a material that has endured hundreds of millions of years beneath our feet. The beauty of this natural stone has enjoyed thousands of years of appreciation. Enough to clad the temples of Ancient Greece and the architectural marvels of Rome. Millions […]

16 Surprising Gizmos & Gadgets of an Interior Designer

I’m a bit of a product junkie. I love tools that do the job efficiently and make life more satisfying in the process.

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