With the holiday season coming I have been thinking more and more about what we expect to see. Well one of the things that for years has always been on TV at this time of year is Oprah’s favorite things. You know the show where she gives away to the audience all of her favorite things for that year. Well I thought that I would take a page from that and talk about my favorite things that apply to interior design. And if I am starting from the ground up lets take about floor coverings first.

So when it comes to the very first thing, the floor, I have to say my favorite floors that we put into homes this year has been the hand scrapped wood flooring. These floors are beautiful and have such great character. I love them whether the home is traditional, craftsman, transitional or even modern. They change the feeling of the space and allow you to go in whatever design style you want.

These are a handful of the beautiful offerings that are out there now. They can be a green product that is a fully reclaimed wood floor or a new wood scraped and beaten up to give it that texture and style.

My next favorite thing that we did this year are woven rugs. Don’t get me wrong I will always love a fantastic hand-knotted rug, but these woven rugs are just fun. They give you the ability to add a touch of playfulness without a major expense. So they can be changed in a few years and not be a major pinch to the pocket book. We did them in solids and in stripes and they really gave a great feeling to all of the rooms.

For furnishings I found some great new companies this year and also leaned heavily on some companies we already had established. For a new company I am in love with Wesley Hall. Every piece sits amazing, the people are fantastic, and it is made here in the USA. For dining I am still completely in love with Canadel. You customize it, they build it and every piece is delivered perfect. All from hardwood solids. For fabrics I am still and probably will always be a Stroheim girl. The fabrics are great quality and the designs are new and fresh. But I do have to say that RM Coco and Duralee have been giving them a run for the money here at our design firm. RM Coco had been coming out with great patterns and colors at affordable prices. And Duralee has those bright fun electric fabrics that are just designed to be the WOW factor.

For windows it has been all about the woven wood shade. We have done them in home after home. The great feature to this product is the top down bottom up. Yes you guessed it you can have either the top down letting in light from the top and keeping privacy or the bottom up allowing as much of the outdoors in as you would like. They are available in so many different colors and textures it is perfect for the space that wants to add function and style at the same time.

For the walls I have been all about texture this year. That means grass-cloths, faux paint and innovative wallpapers. This is such a great place to add another dimension to your space. So this year has been the year of no more white walls with standard orange peal texture. Make it new and different!

And lastly my favorite things in lighting has to be the wood chandeliers. Yes I love the glass and crystal and they will always be fantastic but where we have gone with wood lighting is off the charts. Here are some of my favorites.

So this has been a little bit more inside this designers mind about what I think is just to die for this year.