Pillow Talk (and other FAQs)

Q. I have seen many of your rooms on Sensible Chic, HGTV.com and on your website and have come to the conclusion that the pillows you use absolutely put the finishing touch on your rooms, and are what I need for my home. I've never seen anything like them in stores. Where do you find these fabulous pillows?

A. I agree - pillows and other accessories are important to pull the room together with color, texture, contrast and sometimes whimsy. I have always designed the pillows for my clients' homes myself, and had them made by a very talented local artist named Laurie Soldmann. We use the best quality fabrics, trims and stuffers and we usually make them bigger than those you see in retail stores, so they make a real impact. After years of being asked this question, we are now producing a limited number of custom-designed indoor and outdoor pillows for sale, and will be introducing them at our upcoming seminar on June 25 in Sausalito, California. After that, you will be able to buy them on our website. If that's not an option for you, try buying pillows you like and embellishing them with pretty trims from your local fabric store. There are hundreds of trims, and I often use two or more per pillow. You can get VERY creative! (See five photos of pillows at left.)

Q.  The "Old World" style kitchen in the HGTV.com Designers' Portfolio is perfect for my kitchen and I would like to duplicate it. I have done the faux painting and we are considering putting in a skylight as it looks like you have in the photo. My question is, how did you get the light fixture to hang from the skylight? We can't figure this out! Thanks.

A.  There is a beam that bisects the skylight that you can't see in the photo, and we hung the fixture from the beam. Good luck with your kitchen!

Q. I love the photo on the Credits page of your website. Is the painting over the fireplace a Picasso print? Is it possible to purchase it through you?

A. It is a Picasso serigraph or silkscreen print from the owner's private collection. FYI, you can see more photos of that home on the website under Portfolio/Interior Design, and scroll down to "Whimsical Contemporary." We don't sell art, but you can probably find it on line.

Seminar Update 

We are kicking off the weekend events with a wine and cheese tasting on Friday evening in our new offices in Sausalito. Registered guests will be receiving an invitation to join Linda and the rest of the LA&A staff & artists for some pre-seminar cheer!

After the seminar on Sunday, guests are also invited to stay for cocktails at the Alta Mira, hosted again this year by Benjamin Moore Paints. We'd like to thank BM for their continued support, and they will be on hand to demonstrate their fun design tools such as the Personal Color Viewer CD, and maybe a surprise or two.

We have a few spaces left for both Saturday and Sunday, so if you haven't registered yet for one or both days of this fabulous weekend, please do so. There is always a last-minute rush, and we just hate to disappoint anyone. Events include a spectacular al fresco Italian lunch in the Wine Country on Saturday and, of course, the full-day seminar on Sunday. For complete details, please visit our website's Seminar page.

HGTV Dates for June and July

Vibrant Living Room #806  June 14 1:30 PM ET/PT

California Country Dining Room #512 June 29 1:30 PM ET/PT

Modern Whimsy Living Room #713  July 3 1:30 PM ET/PT

Mediterranean Dining Room #809  July 5 1:30 PM ET/PT

Bold Dining Room #603  July 25 1:30 PM ET/PT