photo courtesy of TobiFairley.com

I believe there is a lot that can be learned from studying the work of others. One very noteworthy “other” is famed designer Tobi Fairley.

Named one of the Top 20 Young Designers in America by Traditional Home Magazine for 2009, Ms. Fairley also happens to be the designer who showcased the chandelier I was blogging about in my last post.

One look at her work, and you begin to see a definite trend. She is all about getting big bang for your buck with pops of color.

Tobi Fairley’s interiors aren’t complicated. Instead, they are stunning because they are simple and elegant while capitalizing on a few very well-placed WOWs.

That, my dear friends, is what frugal decorating is all about!

Study and enjoy. Then, take it all back to your own space.



photo courtesy of Apartment Therapy





photo courtesy of Coastal Style Living

Hmmm…the light fixture from this post got me thinking. Just how does one go about choosing chandelier lighting?

For me, it’s all about eyeballing it out. I just seem to have a picture in my mind of what the end result should be – visually speaking.

So how do you explain that to someone else – especially when that someone else is your DH…who doesn’t always share your same “vision”?

I found this rule-of-thumb for choosing chandelier lighting in Traditional Home Magazine from an interview with Alexa Hampton. Let me know if it helps you:

Do the math
“Chandeliers are famously tricky for people to figure out because they’re hanging in the middle of the room with no points of reference against which to gauge for size. A great rule of thumb that I learned years ago is to take the width of the room in feet, double the number, convert it to inches, and that is the minimum dimension for your chandelier’s diameter. I say minimum because it can always be fun to oversize a chandelier, but one should never have it look dinky. Finally, for utility’s sake, make certain that a chandelier never hangs too low over a dining room table. Always keep in mind that you want to look at your dinner companions, whether they’re family or guests.”

Here are some beautiful photos of chandelier lighting from the web. Enjoy!

A little while back, I wrote about decorating with purple – and while purple is still hot, it’s even hotter when the combination is purple and green!

I just adore the room above. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend the day lounging around that?

But please remember…this color combination is not for beginners. Think Black Diamond difficult!

There is the right way to do purple and green, and there is the wrong way to do purple and green.

Forgive me - but this is just WRONG!

Whew. That is just nasty.

Here’s the right way to do purple and green. Enjoy!

photo courtesy of Harmony and Home

How cute!? photo courtesy of Zimbio

photo courtesy of Decor Pad

photo courtesy of Saucy Help

photo courtesy of Decor Pad

Do you have a room decorated with purple and green that you think looks pretty hot? Send a photo in to FDG, and we’ll add you to our wall of fame.

photo courtesy of House Beautiful (02/10)

Part of being frugal with your residential interior design is knowing where to put the pop!

Notice how each of these photos makes use of just one really cool design element to grab your attention! Everything else in the room – while pretty – is fairly neutral.



I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The fundemental secret of being frugal with residential interior design is simply understanding where to spend the money.

What’s your “pop?”

The color purple is popping up everywhere these days, so why not try a little “pop” of your own?

For some, the idea of purple paint is too overwhelming. That is completely understandable…afterall, decorating with purple is not for the faint of heart.

Try thinking out of the box. Throw a little purple pillow on your couch as an unexpected accent, or use purple paint to wow guests in your main-floor bath.

Decorating with purple is a sure-fire way to start the year off with a bang!

Check out the way purple is used in these inspiration rooms – and if you decide to try it out in your own home, send along photos!

love, love, love these purple chairs

a little purple passion for the bedroom

this dining room makes a statement

great combo of purple and gray

little pops

just fun

this is not your barney purple

Here is a variety of purple paint you can try at home – courtesy of the January issue of Real Simple magazine. (Click on the image for a better view!) Remember that when decorating with purple, the best way to keep the color from looking overwhelmingly eccentric is to pair it with neutrals or complimentary colors of a more “earthy” palate.