John Krenek
Spruce Design and Décor
Signature style: Mid-century modern meets global. I always use a neutral base with color — like vivid 1950s West German pottery — as accents. I believe everything in a room should be used and enjoyed.
Click on the gallery below to see design tips from John Krenek.
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Laura Angelini
Design signature: I often turn to nature for inspiration, and use soothing colors to create peaceful retreats.
Spend a day repairing all the little annoyances in your home, like stuck windows, doors or drawers — or clean out a messy closet. These little things really deplete your energy, and dealing with them usually doesn’t take much time once you get started. Call in a handyman to help with minor repairs if you need to.
Make your bedroom a truly sumptuous sanctuary. Paint it a rich, beautiful color, and use the best sheets and pillows you can afford. Make sure you have good lighting — ambient for mood, and task for reading. Sconces installed on each side of the bed cast a warm glow, and free up space on the nightstands, too.
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Guy Clark
Guy Clark Interiors, Inc.
Design signature: I’m crazy about wallpaper. It can really liven up a boring room, as well as hide defects. And I hate black, so if I want something dark, I’ll use the deepest navy or purple, something with a luminescence that comes through as a surprise.
Click on the gallery below to see design tips from Guy Clark.
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Helen Piteo
Helen Piteo Interiors
Design signature: I like earth tones, and furnishings somewhere between traditional and modern, but basically I’m a chameleon — I just orchestrate the taste of my clients.
Click on the gallery below to see design tips from Helen Piteo.
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Catherine Gerry
Catherine Gerry Interiors
www.catherinegerryinteriors.com
Design signature: My focus lately has been on conservation. When I begin a project, I ask, “What can be reused, refinished, rebuilt or refabricated to get the best effect for the lowest price?”
Click on the gallery below to see design tips from Catherine Gerry.
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Getting Organized
Professional declutterer Johanna Bard can help
Stuff. Most of us have way too much. This rising tide of possessions has spawned 45,000 self-storage facilities across the nation — that’s about two billion square feet, housing our spillover. For those of us living with what feels like two billion square feet of clutter in our homes, there’s a newly minted professional: the organizer.
Johanna Bard, who is based in Milan, is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and a natural neatnik. “I was brought up in a chaotic household, and having my room orderly was a way to cope,” she says. Her business card declares she is “Non-Judgmental, Respectful, Confidential, Objective” — qualities that hint at the psychological aspect behind acquiring, and (more to the point) ridding ourselves of surplus possessions.
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Getting organized with Bard begins with a consultation. “I’ll visit, and give a rough idea of what’s involved, and then I get down and dirty,” she says. Overcoming resistance about throwing things out can be hard. “But most people find it emotionally draining and exhilarating at the same time,” Bard notes. Once the culling is over, she helps organize what remains. “My main job is teaching, helping people keep their lives simple.”
Bard’s own secret mess? “I have an inch of clutter on my desk,” she admits. “But it’s very close to where it’s supposed to be.”
For more information, visit www.yhvo.com or contact Bard at 845-901-2445.
