Rugh Design

Clarity in Color, Perfection in Paint.

Coral, Cobalt Blue and Sunny Yellow

Inspiration ebbs and flows and is not quite as “on demand” as I would always like it to be. Lately, something has sparked my interest. I am helping a friend with her new home and started by inquiring what colors she and her husband like and are attracted to. She mentioned to me a beautiful combination: coral, cobalt blue and sunny yellow. At first glance these are not colors that I am immediately drawn to…
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Organization as a Means to Design

So, if you know me well, you know that I am an organizer at heart. I can even sometimes drive people (mainly my husband) crazy with my OC ways of cleaning and keeping things in order. The good thing about this drive of mine is that it coordinates well with my desire and gift for interior design. Have you ever tried to design or decorate your home without removing clutter and cleaning it first? Disaster. Waiting. To. Happen…
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Inspiration

Recently I was reminded of one of my all-time favorite artists and an inspiration to me as a designer: Georgia O’Keeffe. My Mom and I went to her museum in Santa Fe years ago and I was blown away by her style. To me, (art critics or others might disagree) her art is feminine and soft with gorgeous sinuous lines and a beautiful representation of nature. I’ve always been a girly-girl myself, so maybe that is why I am so drawn to her style. I am also very drawn to nature. There is something almost sensual about her work with the curves of the flowers and foliage. I have one of her prints framed…
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New Year, Fresh Design

I don’t know about anyone else, but I find January and the new year to be refreshing. A chance to make changes, a chance to re-organize and start anew, a chance to re-focus. I came home from our holiday break and immediately wanted to start “spring cleaning.” Not just the put away Christmas kind of cleaning, but the dig in the junk drawers and clutter-y cabinets type of cleaning. Anyone that knows me well knows that I get really jazzed up about organizing. Almost to a fault. Not only have I been focused on my early spring cleaning, but I’ve been inspired to spruce up and mix up the accessories and design of my house. I wanted to share some easy ways to update the look of your dwelling without…
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Creative Holiday Decor

Thanksgiving is over! Time to break out the Christmas decorations! Actually, all my life I’ve been anti-Christmas until my birthday was over. I won’t reveal the year, but the date is December 4th. My poor family was always dying to dig right in, but I was stubborn (and probably a bit selfish) and I wanted my day before Christmas was even mentioned, let alone decorated for…
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Owls

Okay, if you know me, you knew this day would come. A post about owls and owl decor. I love owls! I haven’t always necessarily loved them in particular, but I grew up with them. Let me explain. My paternal grandparents attended Rice University, in which the mascot is…you guessed it…owls. My “Mimi” loved owls and collected them. She had all sizes, shapes and colors of different owl figurines on glass shelves by her window in the Living Area of their house. I remember being intrigued by them as a little girl and always loved to look at them. Mimi even had owl ornaments and if my memory serves me correctly, a small embroidered owl pillow. Oh, and a very cute stuffed owl that we…
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Festive for Fall Tablescape

Some of my favorite memories growing up were watching my Mom decorate our home for the holidays. And not just Thanksgiving and Christmas, mind you, the whole shebang: New Years, Valentine’s Day, etc. You get the point…all the way down to Memorial Day. We actually had a “tree” made out of simple dowel rods small enough to fit on our kitchen table that we decorated for each occasion with tiny seasonal ornaments hung on each branch…
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Cutting edge design with wall art ideas

I have been recently inspired by the latest edition of Restoration Hardware’s Source Book, as they call it. Seriously, their style blows me away. Not only is it cutting edge with an amazing unique twist on ordinary household pieces, like lighting fixtures for example, but they have this acute attention to detail that…
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Indigo/Midnight Blue

Okay, here goes. My first official post for Rugh Design! I would like to keep this blog as a way to help my clients and others stay afresh on the latest design trends and offer interior design tips, etc. So yes, onto today’s topic…indigo/midnight blue. Blue. I love it, and it seems that others love it too. I’ve actually heard that there is a certain shade of blue that is most pleasing/attractive to the public eye, according to research…
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