Decorate With What You Love: Large and Small

When I first approach designing a small space, I think of all of the grand gestures I can make in key spots, from a large glass desk to voluminous layered curtains installed up to the ceiling, to combat that cluttered, compact look. Lots of little collections and junior-sized chairs can actually shrink the appearance of a room. But once the larger anchor pieces are in place,  it is the small design gestures that make a house  feel like a home.

Layer With Mementos

Here are some of my favorite things. Most of them are tiny, found objects or gifted treasures from people I love. Above I framed one of the art drawings that my physician father was famous for. This one is called “Rat Orchestra,” an homage to the critters he worked with in the research lab.  Since he recently passed away, his art truly brings me joy and a sense of connection to him.

Vintage Finds Add Warmth to a Small Space

Shopping in vintage shops is an outing I really enjoy with my mother. We always marvel at how in sync our tastes are and for my birthday, she bought me this little cast-iron Boston terrier door stop that faithfully greets me in the foyer.

Green Mason jars make me happy. I found them at Walmart and use them for mixing salad dressings or drinking lemonade, and if I am short on party cocktail shakers, they stand in quite well working a self-serve martini station.

My first Jonathan Adler pottery was a gift from my sweet sister.  After a day of shopping in San Francisco, she knew I had to have this piece.  It has been featured in my last book and again, in my second. It’s a keeper. Thank you, D!

What home doesn’t need a little extra love? Paperweights are a home office must-have. They make sense of the paper piles on top of a desk, organizing stacks of odds and ends to look intentional. This one also stands upright on a bookshelf.