LINTELS + LALLIES BLOG

“You have to live spherically in many directions, with childish enthusiasm.” Ah, don’t you just love the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”?   There are a few quotes from that flick which are always floating around in my brain.   As a designer I feel you kinda have to ‘live spherically’.   You may be shopping for a sofa for a certain client & find the perfect lamp for another project…your mind just has to constantly be open to inspiration all around you.   Another quote I appreciate is, “ Pick one room and make it yours.   Go slowly through the house.   Be polite; introduce yourself, so it can introduce itself to you. Often when I’m in a client’s home, they want to know how I can fix EVERY room in their home at the same time.   Some homes this is great, we tackle everything & move on from one project to the next.   But if you find you are the type of person that gets overwhelmed easily, I think it is best to “Pick one room & make it ...

I subscribed to HGTV’s new magazine, and they featured a section called something along the lines of, “Clutter Confessions”.   We all have them…areas of your home that need a little bit of time, but just aren’t important enough to make it on the ‘to-do list’ - mostly because they aren’t seen by daily visitors. For me, well...let’s just say there are MANY dirty little secrets, but for a starter I decided to shamefully share with you under my kitchen sink & my laundry room. … Here is the before of my kitchen sink: I took everything out and realized that the majority of the items I don't use, or were duplicates.   So, anything that I didn’t use on a regular basis (such as insect killer, mouse traps & bug spray) I put either in the garage or on a shelf in the basement.   If there were any cleaners that were duplicates and I could pour them into one, I combined them (but don't worry folks, only those of the same brand).   If they were too full, I ...

Below are some images from the Baby Shower this past weekend.  Congratulations Eric & Laura, we all can't wait to meet your little boy!

I just love creating nurseries!  Growing up my parents must have recognized a talent in me, as they always let me create my own room, and change it as I grew.  I went from liking mauve ornate (Boy, that dates me doesn't it?) to blue county, to black and white modern, to green serene.  With that in mind, I always try to design a space that babies and children can grow with.  But most importantly, I think all children's rooms should have a feel of inspiration and whimsy!  Check out these fun palettes by Sherwin Williams & fantastic furniture pieces from Posh Tots! Love a color you see?  I'm more than happy to bring my color swatches to you so you can see how they look in your creative space! CONTACT phone:   219.877.8246 e-mail:    barbara@lintelsandlallies.com Sent from my iPad

I'm currently working on a baby shower! Here are three design boards that were presented to the mother-to-be. Check back in the upcoming weeks to see what she chose, and how everything looked!

So, we all have our little lame "claims to fame."  Right? I'm still gloating over the fact that I got to ask HGTV's new 'Design Star,' Meg, a question on 'Windy City Live' this morning! It's almost as if they stopped the interview briefly just to acknowlege how great of a question I asked! ;)  (snort!)  Congrats, Meg, and thanks for taking my question!  To check out my geeky thrill, click the video clip below:

Sometimes, when TV shows become hits, they can influence fashion and even interiors. That has me wondering if the ratings will be good for the new show 'Pan Am'. So, I've put together how I think this new, swanky, vintage show would translate into a furniture form.  Check it out! >