Cheap Chic: 5 Interior Style Tips for the Recessionista

Everyone deserves a fabulous space!! If the economy has your pocketbook in a pinch, here are 5 easy tips to gussy up your place while still keeping a Recessionista budget:

Contain Yourself
The quickest, easiest way to stylize and polish a space is to create groupings of things by placing them in lovely trays, jars, and baskets, which make wonderful catch-alls for items that would normally be left loose to wander. Gather books, remotes, and coasters in a luxe tray on the coffee table, corral kids' toys in baskets, and collect mail, post-its and pens on a beautiful dish, and the grouping looks like a well-thought arrangement. Add a fresh cut flower in a jar and voila! Instant style.

Keep It Interesting
While any well-designed room will have a stunning focal point that draws attention upon entering the space, keeping the attention is the real trick. Shiny surfaces, bright splashes of color, and graphic prints create huge impact in small doses. These small touches really make a room pop.

Table Lamps are Your Friends
Lighting, or lack thereof, can make or break a space. Well-designed overhead lighting in the average apartment is rare. Fortunately, table lamps, floor lamps, and task lights are affordable, and their soft, indirect light creates intimacy and ambience like no overhead light will ever do. Find lamps with built-in dimmers to create instant atmosphere. Plus, stylish lamps will accessorize your space, and you can take them with you when you move.

The Well-Lived Life
A little decadence goes a long way. While budgets may be tight, nothing dresses up a space like elegant details. Splurging on small items can make all the difference. Luxurious hand towels in the washroom, a plush throw, and of course, fresh flowers are little indulgences that say 'wow'.

Quality Not Quantity
There is nothing like mess and clutter to ruin an otherwise delightful interior. When better a time to organize, declutter, and eliminate unneeded belongings? Whether it's your high-school jeans or an unsightly gag gift, now is the perfect time to unburden your space so those pieces you really love can shine. Plus, donating the items to charity helps out others and can often help your tax write-off - that's a double score!

Lido Island Residence by Emily LaMarque Design Studio

I’m so excited to announce that Emily LaMarque Design Studio has added another project to its portfolio!

When these empty nesters decided to trade in their high-maintenance waterfront home, this high-rise condo with breathtaking views was the perfect solution for beautiful, tranquil, and easy beach living. Our main goals were to maximize the views and premium square footage, while paying meticulous attention to detailed finish work. After stripping this home to its studs, every detail was hand selected and hand crafted to rebuild this stunning home. Click here to read more about the project....

Here's a preview of the project....for more photos, click here.

Visit the ELDS website to view the full portfolio!

New Year, New Blog...

Or maybe I should say new year, more blog! This year has been off to a great start for Emily LaMarque Design Studio. New photos of ELDS's most recent project, a spohisticated condo in Newport Beach, CA, have been added to the portfolio, and with more projects under construction, I'm happy to announce that a few more project photos will follow in the next few months!

As for the blog, stay tuned for more postings, including more interiors, more sources of design inspiration, more from the style files, and more articles with plenty of design hints and tips.

May 2010 bring you all that you could hope for!

Kate Spade makes me smile...

The best thing about having an iPhone is all the accessories that go with it. Check out my new favorite iPhone/iTouch cover from Kate Spade. Tell me this chic little number won't put a smile on your face everytime you pull it out to use it...

'Tis the Season...

...for joy, hope, love, and all things holiday! Here are some of my favorite chicest holiday finds...

Icy quartz crystal ornaments from Vivaterra...



Sparkly snowflakes from Graham & Green...Love, love, love Jonathan Adlers cheeky ornaments and menorahs...

This modern, sparkly wreath by David Stark for West Elm...



Fun appetizer plates with a mid-century feel from Crate and Barrel...

An eco-friendly, fun take on a traditional wreath from Vivaterra...

Beautiful holiday letterpress from Hello Lucky...

And Snow & Graham...

And my favorite company, Elum...

What's new on my Tivo?

So my favorite new TV show that I recently discovered is Man Shops Globe. Keith Johnson is a buyer for Anthropologie who travels the world looking for amazing finds. From antique shops to flea markets with so many incredible artists in between, tuning in for the Keith's hunt is definitely worth it! Don't forget to check out Keith's Quick Picks, which catalogs many of Keith's shopping stops.

Another one bites the dust....

...so how many left does that make? Metropolitan Home announced that they too are closing their publication making December's issue their last! And they will also be closing their online umbrella site, PointClickHome. We've only too recently said goodbye to Domino and Southern Accents to name a few, and now Met Home. The days of glossy page-turning inspiration are rapidly dwindling. Good luck Elle Decor - we're rooting for you...