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5 Inspirational Design Quotes

Interior design may be one part inspiration and 99 parts perspiration, but that inspiration sure is important! I love looking at the designs of brilliant Dallas interior designers, as well as those from around the country and world. I also like finding inspirational design quotes to motivate me in my work. Here are five I hope you'll love, too. 1. "A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Most people make the mistake of going overboard in the direction of "stuff." If one...

Color Crush: Spice Market

Every two weeks, I post one of my Color Crush color palettes here on the Barbara Gilbert Interiors blog. It's such a fun project. This week, I've chosen the vibrant hues of a spice market as my inspiration. I love traveling the world, and I've been to spice markets in Morocco. The rich shades of the spices were so gorgeous and saturated. Combined with the energy of the market, the wonderful smells, all the interesting people...I love these memories! This spice market color palette would create an earthy, relaxed feel in any room, since these are colors from nature. The lighter green shade would...

Secrets to Steal from Well Designed Living Rooms

Well designed living rooms can vary in style from contemporary to southwestern, but they share some common elements. Elegant living rooms display great design without appearing flashy or overly trendy. That's harder than it sounds! Here is my list of secrets to steal from well designed living rooms. Play with patterns Mixing patterns intimidates a lot of people. But nothing makes a space look more professional than expertly layered patterns. Don't worry! First, read How to Mix Patterns Like a Boss. Remember to keep them in the same color family and style, and consider scale and saturation. This is one area...