Cailen Ascher Design is currently being featured in the "Business Spotlight" on www.MyHunterdon.com. Check it out today to find out more about Cailen Ascher Design's mission to bring the elements of well-designed living into her clients' homes.
The direct link is: http://www.myhunterdon.com/businesses/businesses.php.
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Hollywood Regency is a style that developed in the 1930s and 40s - think Humphrey Bogart 
and Joan Crawford - very chic and utterly sophisticated. This style beckons for glamour, luxury, and all things that sparkle. What made this trend so massively appealing was not one overarching theme or color but a conscious dedication to details - the sheen of a fabric, the decorative fringe on a pillow, the delicate crystals on a chandelier, and the personalization and flexibility it allowed to suit each individual's needs and sense of style.
To give you a sense of what it generally entails, envision lacquered furniture and sumptuous fabrics. Metallic finishes and mirrors add a touch of elegance and class, while soft velvets, delicate silks, and sensuous satins appeal to one's sense of opulence. These all set the backdrop for Hollywood Regency. Though this style developed in a bygone era, it's completely adaptable to modern sensibilities, for the innate essence of the style is rooted in elevating the home to a haven.
I've heard about FLOR before, but today was the first time I took a moment to check out FLOR.com. It's a great company that offers "modular flooring" (basically rug tiles). You can design and create a rug of any dimension and custom fit it to your specific space - a great idea if you ask me. Though some of the colors/patterns are a bit predictable and dated for my taste, others are completely chic, new and interesting.
In addition, the cost for their flooring is significantly cheaper than purchasing wall-to-wall carpeting or even getting an area rug - plus you get to customize it to suit your needs. Also, if anyone spills anything or a spot gets stained, you can pop out the tile, clean (or replace it if need be) and put it back. Very simple, very ingenious!
Their website is lots of fun, and they even have an application for you to design your own rug online. They have endless colors, patterns and textures...the combinations are endless! You should definitely check out FLOR.com if you're in need of some new carpeting (or even if you're not)!
Enjoy FLOR!
I know most people recommend cleaning-house with the proverbial "spring cleaning", but I personally think the beginning of the new year is a great time to clean out your crowded closets, corners, and cabinets. You've probably promised yourself that you'll eat better, exercise more, or try to have a more positive attitude (or something like that) when you created your resolutions for 2009. But it's nearly impossible to successfully alter your lifestyle if your home doesn't promote healthy, harmonious living.
1. One room a day. Choose a room (or closet) and make it your goal to spend even just 10 minutes to organize, straighten, and throw out what you do not need or use regularly. Remember, you don't necessarily have to throw things out - you can donate or recycle them, instead!
2. Beautiful or Functional? If you do not use it or do not find it beautiful or feel that it enhances your life, GET RID OF IT! We fill our homes and our lives with so much unnecessary clutter. Try to progress with an objective mind and remember, you'll feel so much better when you're clutter-free!
3.Rearrange and Change. Don't be afraid to move things around. Sometimes, we live with a certain setup for so long, we forget that we have the option of changing things around! Rearrange your living room furniture if the traffic-flow doesn't feel right, add more lighting if a certain room always feels too dark, or hang up curtains or blinds in front of the window that gets direct sunlight. These small changes greatly improve your quality of life.
4. Organization Stations. Oftentimes, clutter accumulates because we don't have logical places for things. If mail piles up on the kitchen table, create a mail-bin or filing system to organize it. If keys get tossed haphazardly, hang up key hooks near the door.
Try to observe your home (and lifestyle) as if you were an outsider. In general, do things seem logical, organized, harmonious? If not, ask yourself why. Often, the solutions are simpler (and much less expensive) than you might have originally thought!