Paint Colors That Add (and Cost) Thousands When Selling Your Home
Zillow's 2026 paint analysis shows chocolate brown bedrooms draw $2,277 more in offers, and one color can cost nearly $18,000. Here's what to paint before you list.
The 7 Principles of Space Planning Every Homeowner Should Know
Traffic flow, conversation groupings, negative space. The fundamentals that separate a room that works from one that just has furniture in it.
Layered Lighting: Why Your Home Needs More Than One Light Source
Overhead lighting alone flattens a room. The three-layer approach and why color temperature (measured in Kelvin) matters more than bulb brightness.
Transitional Style Explained: How to Blend Classic and Contemporary in Any Room
Not strictly traditional, not purely modern. Transitional design is the most livable style for most Florida homeowners, and here's how it actually works.
The Complete Guide to Window Treatments: Drapery, Blinds, and Sheers
Mount high, hang wide. The rule most homeowners ignore, and everything else you need to know about choosing and placing window coverings.
Flooring First: How Designers Choose the Right Material for Every Room
Hardwood, LVP, tile. What Janka hardness ratings actually tell you, why LVP has become a serious option for Florida homes, and how to choose flooring direction.
Kitchen Design That Works: The Work Triangle and What Replaces It Today
The original work triangle was designed for one cook. Modern kitchens need work zones instead. Island clearance, cabinet heights, and countertop trade-offs.
How to Create a Master Bedroom That Feels Like a Luxury Hotel
Bedside lighting height, proper bedding layers, headboard proportion. What hotel rooms get right that most bedrooms miss, and how to bring it home.
Small Bathroom, Big Impact: Professional Tricks for Tight Spaces
Large-format tile, floating vanities, frameless mirrors. The specific choices that make a small bathroom feel considerably larger than it is.
The Art of the Gallery Wall: A Step-by-Step Designer's Approach
Start with the anchor piece. Lay everything on the floor first. The 57-inch rule. How designers plan a gallery wall before a single nail goes in.
Designing for Florida Living: Color, Material, and Climate Considerations
Florida's intense sunlight changes how colors read. What works in a showroom can look washed out or harsh at home. Materials, humidity, and the indoor-outdoor connection.
Furniture Scale and Proportion: The Most Common Mistake Homeowners Make
Too-small furniture in a large room looks sparse, not spacious. The 2/3 rule, coffee table sizing, rug sizing, and how to test proportions before you buy.
How to Use Texture to Add Depth and Warmth to Any Room
Texture does what color can't in a neutral palette. Visual texture, tactile texture, matte versus reflective surfaces, and why an all-smooth room always falls flat.
Open Floor Plan Design: How to Define Spaces Without Walls
Rugs, lighting, furniture groupings, and ceiling treatments. The four tools designers use to create distinct zones in a space with no walls to help.
The Designer's Guide to Area Rugs: Size, Pattern, and Placement
All four legs, front legs only, or no legs at all. The actual rules for rug sizing by room, dining room rug proportions, bedroom placement, and where to put the money.
Home Staging vs. Interior Design: What's the Difference and When You Need Each
Staging is designed to appeal to the broadest possible buyer. Design is designed to appeal to one person: you. Understanding which service you actually need.
Before You Buy a Single Piece of Furniture, Read This
Measure first. Check the lead time. Sit in the sofa. The sequence every designer follows before walking into a showroom, and why most homeowners skip it.
Trendy Colors vs. Timeless Colors: How to Tell the Difference
A warm white with a cream undertone reads as timeless. A cool stark white dates quickly. What separates colors that last from colors that follow a season.
Which Home Updates Actually Add Value, and Which Ones Don't
Paint and new lighting often outperform expensive renovations at resale. A practical framework for deciding what to do before listing versus what to do to enjoy your home.
How to Work With an Interior Designer: From First Consultation to Final Reveal
What to bring to your first meeting, how designers charge, what trade pricing means, and how to communicate so the project actually reflects you. A guide for first-timers in the Orlando area.
What to Look for When Hiring an Interior Designer
Portfolio range, communication style, transparent pricing, local knowledge, and credentials. A practical checklist for finding the right designer for your home.
Why Hiring an Interior Designer Makes Sense in 2026
Option overload, rising material costs, and higher home values in Orlando make professional design more relevant than ever. What's changed and what hasn't.
Will I Actually Save Money Hiring an Interior Designer?
Trade discounts, avoided mistakes, and buying less but better. An honest look at where the savings come from and when they don't.
How Much Does an Interior Designer Cost in Orlando?
Hourly, flat fee, or percentage of purchases. Real numbers for the Orlando market, what each model means for your budget, and how trade pricing works.
10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Interior Designer
Who you'll actually work with, how fees are structured, what the timeline looks like, and how they handle disagreements. Questions that separate good answers from the right fit.
Full-Service vs. Consulting: Which Interior Design Service Do You Actually Need?
Full-service means Lori handles everything. Consulting means she gives you direction and you execute. How to decide which approach fits your project and budget.
How to Tell If an Interior Designer Is Right for Your Style
Reading a portfolio, what "versatile" actually means, and the one question to ask that tells you whether a designer will design for you or for themselves.
What Happens at the First Interior Design Consultation?
What to bring, what Lori looks at, what questions she asks, and what you'll walk away with. A step-by-step look at how the first meeting actually works.
Interior Design Mistakes That Cost Homeowners the Most Money
Buying furniture before planning, ignoring natural light, wrong rug sizing, and painting last. The costly errors most homeowners make and how designers avoid them.
When Is the Right Time to Hire an Interior Designer?
Before a renovation, after buying a home, before listing it. The timing decisions that make the biggest difference in what you get out of working with a designer.