Back by popular demand, Retrofit Home , a very cool home furnishings and gift store on Capitol Hill in Seattle is presenting the art show “Hundred and Under” and once again, I am so fortunate to be included. As the name infers, all the pieces will be for sale for under $100.

I love to paint as a hobby and some of my little works are featured in my Etsy shop. Escaping into the paint box is just as magical as walking into the wardrobe closet and ending up in Narnia

I received a good education on staining brick last spring on this particular job in Redmond’s Union Hill Gunshy Ridge, a neighborhood filled with luxurious, Tudor homes, yet where so many look alike. It’s invaluable to be able to change the color of the brick (and the monotony of the neighborhood) without losing the visual texture of its underlying irregular surface which would have resulted if it had been painted with an opaque paint

It has taken me four years and hundreds of consultations to have finally owned up to my true gift as an architectural color consultant . It’s been slowly dawning on me as I see the look of relief, satisfaction and pure joy on my client’s faces. I have always been confident about my color sensitivity, but it was my most recent color consultation at Tease Salon that confirmed this other innate ability

Should art match your sofa? If it’s mine it should

One of the highlights of my trip to the beautiful city of Amsterdam was viewing this painting “The Kitchen Maid”by Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum . It is exquisite. Besides revealing an intimate setting in a typical genre painting, the colors are incredible.

I have been delighted by these colorful, historical stucco reliefs inset in the building facades. They are everywhere.

I’ve decided I’m going to move here. I love bikes.

After eighteen hours of getting here, a gritty eyed american traveler walked out of the Centraal train station in Amsterdam and was catapulted into this beautiful city. Embracing my inner tightwad, I opted to walk to my apartment which was less than 2 kilometers away instead of taking a cab, my luggage heavily bearing its namesake behind me. Thank you Google maps, you are amazing.

Are you reading this post because your walls look like this? More often than not, this is what I see when I enter a home for a color consultation