by Karen Trubner-Kent
February 17, 2012
The dental assistant had a question. 
“Is Teal in?”she wanted to know.
She went on to explain that she wanted to repaint her Master Bedroom and the color teal really appealed to her.
She just wasn’t sure it was the “in” color to use.
While I generally don’t hand out free advice, I couldn’t resist this one. I told her to forget what colors are “in” and paint her bedroom whatever favorite color she wanted.
It was her bedroom, after all!
A few days later, another acquaintance was lamenting the large amount of dark wood in her home – dark oak floors, kitchen and bathroom cabinets, and walls.
Her husband had suggested painting them.
“But,” she wondered aloud, “What happens if ten years from now dark wood is again back in style?”
She wasn’t asking my opinion, so I didn’t provide it, but here’s the thing.
Fads are just that.
They come and go.
What your heart and your gut are telling you – that’s what you want to pay attention to!
Your home needs to be about you and the things you love.
Whether you love teal, or your home is too dark and you want to lighten things up, I say – go for it!
Here’s another example.
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Categories: Color, Gaining Clarity, Home Design | 
Tags: Color, fads, Home Design, interior design, listen to your heart, oak, teal, things you love | 
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by Karen Trubner-Kent
February 10, 2012
A recent article on creating Harmony in ones’ work place, has inspired today’s musings. 
If you’ve ever considered how you might improve the energy in your workspace – whether or not your office is in your home – these simple design suggestions will give you something to think about.
By no means are these ideas limited to just your office – you can apply this to any place in your home.
Do Aim for Clean, Uncluttered Surfaces
We don’t always realize how important it is to have our work areas impeccably organized, with a designated place for everything to be stored.
The tendency is to have little piles on our desk, each one representing a portion of our To Do list for the next day.
Do you really tackle each of those little piles on a daily basis?
I know I don’t.
And yet, I’m fearful of storing things away, being very guilty of an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality.
Here’s the thing, though: according to Chinese Feng Shui, having too many things on your work surface can impede the flow of energy, or chi.
There is a lot of truth in this ancient wisdom, so take heed.
Clear up your work surfaces, and find a home for all your knickknacks and unnecessary items.
Even better, be sure to extend the effort to every area of your home that tends to collect stuff – be it your kitchen, your favorite coffee table with stacks of magazines and clippings, or a bathroom counter.
Make it a habit to breathe new life into your living and work spaces, each and every day.
Don’t Turn Your Back on the Door
From a purely logical standpoint, it simply feels more comfortable to have a clear view of your office door, so you can see what is going on.
This one simple act can eliminate the sense of someone sneaking up on you from behind.
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Categories: Color, Gaining Clarity, Health & Wellness, Home Design, Living Green | Tags: air quality, Color, energy, Feng Shui, harmony, home office, how to shift the energy in your office, Lighting, organized, toxins, uncluttered, work surface, workplace | No Comments »
by Karen Trubner-Kent
February 3, 2012
No, I’m not talking about your home’s electrical output.
I’m talking about your home’s energy, in terms of the positive or negative energy contained therein.
You’ve probably heard that people emit either positive or negative energy – well your home exudes a certain energy, as well.
It may be closely related to your own mood.
In other words, if you’ve been neglecting yourself lately and are feeling tired and overwhelmed, this may have rubbed off on your surroundings. Chances are your home is feeling the same way.
Take a look around you.
Is your furniture looking a bit worn and tired? Are the walls faded and in need of a fresh coats of paint? Do the carpets need replacing?
What about clutter? Do you live in a clean, organized space full of positive energy? Or is your living environment screaming for help, mired in negative output?
Maybe your home needs to lose the ‘extra weight’.
Many of us have the inevitable spare room, where we discard un-used, and un-needed items.
What is the energy emitted from that room? Does it weigh you down or lift you up?
Which would you prefer?
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Categories: Home Design, Organization | Tags: aura, boost your home's energy, clutter, energy, what is your home's energy | No Comments »
by Karen Trubner-Kent
January 27, 2012
I recently came across this headline while browsing through a magazine: 
‘THINK BIG’
My first thought was – “Oh no” – they’ve taken a similar message & have turned it around to say the exact opposite.
But then I read the smaller print, which said:
‘THESE STYLISH, ROOM-EXPANDING STRATEGIES WILL HAVE YOU LIVING LARGE IN SMALL SPACES’
Yes!
I didn’t need to read any further.
You see, I’ve already come up with my own reasons why ‘Thinking Small’ can help you to ‘Live Large’.
Here they are:
1 - Smaller homes are more affordable and require less of everything.
Less maintenance. Less expense.
Need to paint the house top to bottom, or replace the carpet? What about replacing the windows, in lieu of more energy efficient options?
Less square footage also means lower utility bills. You will even need less furniture!
And because you will need LESS of everything, you can spend MORE on higher quality, and still come out ahead.
Meaning you won’t have to break the budget to achieve an amazing result!
2 – Smaller homes are ideal for Custom design.
Yes, it may cost more, but remember you will ultimately need less of everything, so why not?
This is an opportunity for you to get super organized, so use it to your advantage.
Are you looking for an efficient, minimalist kitchen? Do you need better storage options overall?
By reducing the scale of your dream kitchen, you can reduce the total costs, and instead think bigger in terms of the overall design. You can re-purpose those funds into higher end cabinetry, quality appliances, and clever storage options.
A skilled craftsman can create customized storage that perfectly fits your needs, plus the size and the layout of your home. This includes kitchen cabinetry, and anything else you can think of.
Furnishings can also be customized.
The ideal sofa will not only be perfectly scaled to the size of the room, but it will also be scaled to fit you. For the ultimate in comfort, luxury and organization, this is the way to go.
In a smaller home, the occasional splurge becomes more affordable. When properly orchestrated, small homes can live large!
3 - Smaller homes let you be more Creative.
The idea here, is to look outside the box.
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Categories: Balance & Harmony, Home Design, Organization | Tags: creative, custom design, it's OK to think Small, less is more, live large, small, smaller homes | 4 Comments »
by Karen Trubner-Kent
January 22, 2012
I’m not sure I need any more surprises, but even as I write this, the lights keep flickering, leading me to believe we might lose power any minute. 
How apropos.
If we do lose power, so be it – if I’ve learned anything over the past few days, it’s that I will invariably get by.
You see, I was traveling this past week.
What was expected to be a brief, 3-day trip to Asheville, NC turned into a full week away from home.
By the second day of my travels, I suddenly found myself dealing with several unexpected snafus – a huge snowstorm in Seattle, which resulted in delayed travel plans, plus a phone call from my son saying he’d been stricken with a severe case of food poisoning.
Talk about the unexpected!
It was time to take a deep breath and assess my situation. In the end, the experience taught me a few things:
A Perceived Setback Could Be a Blessing in Disguise
In my case, while the blizzard in Seattle prevented my immediate return, it also opened up space for an entirely different opportunity. I flew to Austin, Texas instead, where my son was in need of some TLC.
Likewise, the unwelcome snags, or delays, in your home improvement project might actually lead to an even better solution. Rather than fight it, why not go with the flow?
In my humble opinion, things have a tendency to unfold exactly as they were meant to all along.
Prepare Ahead of Time
Chances are the unexpected is going to happen, especially when you travel.
From now on, I plan to pack an extra change of clothes, even if it seems totally unnecessary. A pair of sandals can’t hurt either, cause you never know where you might end up (it was sunny and 78 degrees in Austin).
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Categories: Balance & Harmony | Tags: Asheville, delays, home improvement project, how to deal with the unexpected, interior design, Seattle, snafus, snags, snowstorm, TLC, travel, unexpected | 6 Comments »
by Karen Trubner-Kent
January 13, 2012
Lucky for me, I had the pleasure of once again visiting my favorite island in Hawaii over the recent holidays – leaving me rejuvenated to the core!
Experiencing warmth and sunshine on a daily basis, in the middle of winter, is a rare treat in and of itself.
However, I think it’s the daily assault on my senses that left me fully awakened, eager to welcome each day with whatever new sensory images might come my way – including an exciting array of foods that thoroughly awakened my taste buds.
From the taste of tropical fruits such as papaya, mango and pineapple, to the daily fresh fish from the sea and the crunch of macademia nuts, it was a delight.
Not to mention the exquisite tastes of thirst quenching drinks made from passionfruit juice and sparkling wine, or cucumber juice mixed with lime & mint, I was in heaven.
As an interior designer, I appreciate beautiful design no matter where it shows up - a luscious presentation of food, for example, with a unique or clever combination of tastes - this can be a work of art in its own right.
We woke each morning to the song of the myhna bird – loud and cheerful already at 6:30 a.m. Greeted by a sumptuous buffet, we breakfasted on an open terrace, with a view of the pool and the ocean beyond.
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Categories: Balance & Harmony, Home Design | Tags: 7 Pennies, beauty, five sense, Hawaii, interior design, nature, rejuvenated, taste buds | 1 Comment »
by Karen Trubner-Kent
January 6, 2012
For Christmas this year, I gave my husband this little footstool – complete with a ski scene. 
My husband happens to be the skier in our family, and an avid one at that, and so – I couldn’t resist.
Does it fit our décor?
Well, not exactly – although, I did intend this footstool for our Family Room, the most relaxed and informal part of the house.
Plus, the furnishings in this room are fairly neutral.
Which, to me, means that pretty much anything can work in this space.
I also have in mind that this particular ski-themed footstool, is a seasonal item that will likely go into storage over the summer months.
I share this with you today to help illustrate a point, which is the importance of blending the personal hobbies and interests of various family members into the overall décor.
You needn’t limit yourself to just the children’s rooms, the home office or your kitchen.
These small, personal touches belong anywhere and everywhere that your family likes to hang out.
Because this, more than anything, is what adds to the warmth and comfort of this place you call home.
Categories: Designer Recommends, Home Design | Tags: decor, footstool, personal touches, ski-theme, skier, this place you call home | No Comments »
by Karen Trubner-Kent
December 30, 2011
Last week, I wrote about the giving of gifts, and my fascination with the Japanese scroll, which reveals itself just like a gift when removed from the custom box it has been stored in. 
A home can reveal itself in very much the same way. If you think about it, just the act of entering someone’s home can feel like a ceremony.
As you move from room to room the house will continue to reveal itself. There could be a pleasant surprise around any corner, maybe even the kind that takes your breath away.
“Oh, what a beautiful room!” we’ve all been known to say at one time or another.
This is one reason why both designers and architects will typically hold back with their design. We don’t want to overpower your senses all at once.
We want you to take things in a little bit at a time, and take a moment to savor the design before revealing the next surprise.
So take a moment to to ask yourself – what is the first impression visitors have when they enter your home?
Let’s start with the entry – what I like to refer to as the “amuse-bouche” of your home.
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Categories: Balance & Harmony, Home Design | Tags: East meets West, entry, first impressions, gifts of the season, surprise | No Comments »
by Karen Trubner-Kent
December 23, 2011
Driving into the city this morning, I was greeted by a most spectacular sight – the snow-capped Olympic mountains in full view, rising majestically against a clear blue sky. 
It took my breath away, but also filled me with delight.
“What a gift!” I thought to myself.
Apparently, the ritual of shopping for, and wrapping gifts was on my mind. ‘Tis the season after all.
In the whirlwind of holiday activity, it’s nice to slow done once in awhile and appreciated the simple beauty of nature, or the familiarity and warmth behind our annual traditions.
In a few days, families across the country will be gathered beneath the Christmas tree, enjoying the end result after weeks of shopping and holiday preparation – including, of course, the unwrapping of presents.
Have you ever noticed that there are various ways to unwrap a gift?
For example, some of us might tear into the package with gusto, leaving a pile of shredded paper and ribbon on the floor. Others are known to unwrap a present ever so carefully, with the intent of saving the paper and bows to be used again next year.
On a recent excursion to a museum, I was introduced to the ceremonious creation of a Japanese scroll painting.
Compact and lightweight, a Japanese scroll hangs effortlessly on a wall. Yet it is preceded by a complex process.
This unique work of art – carefully rolled up and tucked inside a custom made box – is subsequently removed from its’ box in a ceremony steeped in tradition, very much like the unwrapping of a present.
It might surprise you to know the effort that goes into producing this exquisite art form.
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Categories: Asian Art, Holidays, Home Design | Tags: Asian Art, ceremony, Christmas, gifts, Holidays, Japanese scroll, presents, tradition, wrapping gifts | No Comments »
by Karen Trubner-Kent
December 16, 2011
This past week, my goal was to create my very first Video blog. 
Unfortunately, this didn’t go exactly as planned.
In its place, I offer you these timely tips for celebrating the holidays with an eco-friendly twist, based on personal experience and advice I’ve collected over the years.
And if you’re really lucky, the video will still appear sometime this week.
TREES & DECORATION
The prevailing wisdom still dictates that a live tree is preferable to an artificial one, since the latter is made almost entirely from plastics, non-renewable petroleum by-products that can’t be recycled.
The bottom line is that while it can seem wasteful to have a living tree from one year to the next, it is actually more beneficial to the environment, especially if you support what is grown or manufactured locally
Another alternative is to plant a living tree, one that grows in a pot and can be re-planted later – a great idea, but one that requires a lot of acreage (or ingenuity) for the re-planting phase.
Especially if you still have many more Christmases to look forward to.
I literally cringed when I read that I should avoid using tinsel, because it can’t be recycled. In my family, tinsel on the Christmas tree is a tradition that goes as far back as I can remember. When it came to decorating the tree it was always my father’s crowning achievement. He would add the tinsel at the very end, ever so carefully and always very meticulously.
Other ways to invite the outdoors into your home, is by collecting pine cones and branches of holly berries, or whatever else you might find that suits your holiday decor.
If you have children, old standbys like strings of cranberries and popcorn continue to entertain; when the holidays are over these can easily go in your yard waste.
LIGHTS
Did you know that LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are at least 90% more energy efficient than regular incandescent bulbs? Cool to the touch, they also pose less of a fire hazard, and will last for thousands of hours longer than incandescent bulbs.
LEDs are widely available in many different colors, and shapes, and can be found at your local retailer. By switching to LED’s you will save electricity and enjoy a lower electrical bill!
Be sure you don’t throw away your old lights; check your local listings to find out how they can be recycled.
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Categories: Holidays, Home Design | Tags: Christmas, eco-friendly, gifts, greening the holidays, LED lighting, Living Green | 2 Comments »
