Cleaning the Family Silver

Alison Johnston General

We use Grandma Johnston’s silver every day. It is mixed in with my stainless, and no, they don’t match! But I love that we are using something that belonged to this amazingly strong, farm woman and teacher. My stainless cleans beautifully in the dishwasher, but the silver suffers a bit. When I looked into my drawer and saw brown utensils, …

Art for All, Salon Wall

Alison Johnston General

I recently complete a Design Map for a local client. She needed a shopping plan for her sitting room, a little nook off their back door where they will watch TV. Since this is not a huge public space, she wanted to keep her budget low. The navy blue sectional dominates the room. And the green pillows add a bit …

Lighting — Veneer Shades

Alison Johnston General

When we were looking for light fixtures for our house, we wanted some more modern fixtures to balance out some of the more traditional elements in the home. But we did not want ‘shiny chrome’ modern! We needed something with a little bit more earthy character. This great fixture fit the bill! (Similar pendant found here.)It is made of a …

A happy Designer, organized for 2014

Alison Johnston General

It’s so silly. It’s just from Ikea. But I tell you that the Expedit bookcase makes designers happy! My husband spent the weekend taking out the old TV armoire where I was storing client files, and assembled this between football games. Where in your home does organization make you happy?  

Furniture Consignment

Alison Johnston General

Remember earlier this week when I encouraged you to clean out before bringing in the new? I have the perfect example! A friend of mine is starting a large remodel. She has some beautiful designer furniture that is in good condition, but it won’t fit in her new plans. What to do? If your local consignment shop is more ‘Goodwill’ …

Clean it out!

Alison Johnston General

William Morris I’m so excited for the New Year! I don’t just have resolutions … I have plans! I have plans for Johnston Home that include streamlined services combined with personalized design. I have plans for my home to remodel some of our outdoor spaces. (Wait for pictures …) And I have plans for my life that include better scheduling, …

But what does it cost?

Alison Johnston General

Last year I met super cute blogger and designer, Lauren Liess, fromPure Style Home at the Design Bloggers’ conference in LA. One of my favorite posts is her article Reality Check on what it actually costs to furnish a room. I thought I’d go through a similar exercise. This week we will look at furnishing a standard living room complete with a sofa, …

Window Primer

Alison Johnston General

Source: cchonline.com via Alison on Pinterest If you’ve ever contemplated a remodel, you know it is all about the windows. Not only do they need to fit your home architecturally, they must function! Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Alison on PinterestThey are a key player in energy usage, air quality, and light control. And did I mention they can be one of the most expensive components? Source: houzz.com via Alison on Pinterest The chart below shows all …