February 2009 Archives

Gift giving, for even the smallest occasions, has become the social norm in the last decade or so but if you find you are scrambling to get your girlfriend's prize pooch a little something for it's 6th birthday maybe it's time to scale back. 

While gifts for your close  family members are expected, friends and co- workers most of the time don't really need to be given anything more than a card.  But just buying for your family can add up to a lot of gifts in the year when you consider birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, confirmations, Mother's Day, Father's Day, bridal showers, baby showers, weddings, house warming gifts, thank you gifts, hostess gifts, Valentine's, Easter,  Christmas and other occasions you want to celebrate.

What you want to avoid is the panic buying at the last minute when you are ready to get anything regardless of the cost.

The interiors shown are often the homes of clients of interior designers who are trying to get publicity and not necessarily how people live in them.

They are often dressed up (propped) with items the home owner doesn't even own. An ornate piece of furniture or an unusual collection might be added with an antique or designer chair or lamp. 

Personal items or practical items (coats on a coat stand for example) are removed to give the space that showcase look.

There are three design tricks that magazines almost always do to prop a room to make it seem more luxurious and add style to it.