Can a family room be a dining room?

November 21, 2017 Ruthie Staalsen

I met with a client a few months ago that has a beautiful growing family. They had an existing dining room that was tiny! They needed a bigger one but didn't know how to make that happen.

Ruthie Staalsen - What my design philosophy is and why!

May 5, 2017 Ruthie Staalsen

I wanted to share with you a snippet from my book that was published a few months ago. This portion of my chapter truly describes what I am all about.

"My main objective is to create environments that are gathering places for families and friends to do life together.

However, I am about more than that. I believe that the home is a special hub for the best moments in life.

It is the place where you watch your kids dance around the kitchen.

It is where you and your hubby carry your kids to their bed because they fell asleep on the couch.

It's where your daughter brings a boy home for the first time, and where your family laughs around the dinner table so hard that you choke on your food.

Home is where real life happens and sometimes real life is a little bit messy.

That is why I want the homes I decorate to be a place for peace and solitude. Our society is so busy and hurried that spending time AT HOME is almost a lost art.

My goal is to connect these wonderful moments of life to the home through interior design.

I have a different perspective on design in that it isn't totally about a specific look. It's more about finding the soul of the people living in the home, and helping the client find the surroundings that makes them feel good. Decorating is about creating a quality of life, a beauty that nourishes the soul.

Our homes should reflect what we are about, our beliefs, our experiences and family traditions. After all, homes are not just about nice things, they are about a place where you want to spend time.

I want to be known as the designer that connects these dots."

I'm working on a project at the moment where I get to do exactly what I've described above. I get up each morning, ready to make lives and homes more beautiful!

Modern Style Spanish Home

May 25, 2016 Ruthie Staalsen

We recently completed decorating a home for a client that built their home several years ago. They were tired of living in the space without the details. We came in and added accessories, lighting, rugs and some furniture to complete the home.

We had the dining room chairs upholstered in this colorful pattern outlined in the blue velvet that matches the couch.

The client had a couch that they LOVED because of comfort and quality but the style was outdated. We had the entire couch redone and reshaped into something much more stylish with modern lines.

Custom swivel chairs with a geometric pattern, paired with a vintage style rug and round ottoman. As you can see, the fireplace with the Spanish tile was definitely our inspiration for the colors in the room. Don't you just love the gold ship that my client already had in their closet.

Grandma's old stool looks great with an antique embroidered pillow and newly made round ottoman.

This drum was in their entryway but I thought it looked better as a side table. I found the pottery scattered on bookshelves and picked a few that I thought looked nice paired together.