My Top Ten Home Trends for 2012. My musings on what’s next, what’s hot, what’s new and what’s not!

1. Harmony and serenity is what people want. A natural flow of items that creates a sense of peacefulness in the home is essential.

2. Recycled or re-purposed is where it’s at. For this reason, antiques are making a comeback in younger homeowners. Objects that were passed down are getting a new life and surround people with a connection to family.

3. Warm is in! Colder, more minimalist spaces are less appealing. I find that my clients want to be surrounded by more natural, cozy colors and textures.

4. Tradition is on the rise. When the world seems to be in a place of social unrest, people return to a traditional, safer sensibility. It’s like comfort food for the home.

5. Organic, green and low VOC products will no longer be just an interest or a fad. They will be part of the regular course of business for everyday home renovation.

6. Wallpaper is cooler than ever, and people are enjoying the variety of choices out there. You can get more creative with pattern and texture than just utilizing paint.

7. Hard geometric shapes are out. Flowing, more organic, curved and soft lines are more pleasing and gaining popularity.

8. DIY is bigger than ever. With the economy in flux, homeowners are researching ways to do their own home improvement projects, and upgrading their current homes as opposed to buying new.

9. Big box and online retailers have an edge. The choices in furniture, home accessories, lighting, flooring and window treatments from large scale manufacturers are endless and more affordable than custom.

10. Mixing it up is more fun. My current clients request that I choose a few inspirational items for a splurge, and then fill the rest of their spaces with affordable choices.

There are some trends in Palm Beach decor that fill the households across the county and, quite frankly, need to be addressed. I’m in the market for a new house and I repeatedly encounter this nouveau riche sensibility – but not in a good way. I understand why people don’t want their homes to be ordinary and even if we belong to the middle class — why be bourgeoisie? Who ever said that was fun? Please Hilda Flack, a home in Palm Beach Gardens should never be confused with Versailles.

Palm Beach needs an infusion of contemporary style, a fresh face, a youthful presentation – in other words — put the stuffy, stodgy look behind us and welcome in a new year with a new design outlook.

May I suggest cleaner, less fussy, warmer, more casual living? A kinder, gentler home that ebbs and flows with sustainability, comfort and kick ass originality? Let’s start here: we are willing to be your go to guide to jump start a Palm Beach Design Revolution. (Don’t mess with her, she may be young but she’s feisty and won’t take “no” for an answer.)

We are here for you and we’ll make design history by Designing Palm Beach one high end residential property at a time…

Odd as it may sound, I learned a lot of what I know about myself and design from being a total failure in the kitchen.

My flare for drama comes from being the youngest born to an Italian family. From a strictly DNA perspective my sisters and I are a mixed breed. However to my spunky grandmother, Angelina, we are 100% Italian.

When they came over from Naples, my family split into two sets–half went to Manhattan, the other half to the backwoods of Connecticut. The latter is where I spent most of my time, traversing sprawling farms and blue collar towns until I went off to college. The NYC crew established neighborhood restaurants serving up Italian “peasant food”, while my parents built a restaurant of their own in Connecticut.

I spent countless hours in my parent’s restaurant alongside Cheech, the head chef. Cheech didn’t speak a lick of English, but when it came to my cooking affliction it wouldn’t have helped matters if he spoke the queen’s English! I was all thumbs in the kitchen. I eventually discovered that I CAN cook a meal when I follow a recipe. I started Room Recipes from that experience because I think many people have similar insecurities about their ability to design and style their own homes.

My infatuation with design was also ignited by my experience in school. While I had no patience for math and science, I could spend all night tinkering with interior design drawings and furniture catalogs. I love design. Plain and simple. I started drawing elevations at age 7, but it took a while for it to occur to me that interior design could be my life’s work. After years of searching for my professional identity (including a stint in law school and an MFA at the Actors Studio), I finally got to Parsons School of Design to study and hone my craft.

So all that time in the kitchen taught me many things—most importantly the rewards of hard work, dedication and passion. But it also taught me that no one can create a masterpiece alone. On my HGTV shows I have a crew of talented people and craftsmen that make my drawings come alive. Their expertise make my dreams literally come true. But nothing can prepare you for the long hours, sweat and drywall dust in your ears! Major TV redesigns often happen in a fraction of the time usually allocated for a given project. But when we (and the rest of America) see our homeowners smiles (and sometimes tears) at the end of a shoot, we all feel like rock stars.

Cheech taught me the importance of a good recipe, and I guide people through practical designs and easy fixes. I try to inspire them to do the work with their own hearts and hands. With my lucky gold studded drill and a little bit of spunk, anything is possible.

My Gold Studded Drill