This home-owner requested a work space with a lot of desk space.  Her day to day involved looking over blueprints, therefore her desk needed to be large enough to multitask. What's Key: Your desk needs to serve practical purpose and should represent the type of work you will be doing. No reason to invest in a desk that doesn't fit your needs.

Love this piece, timeless and sophisticated with both masculine and feminine qualities. Many times its not about the location of the "home office" but just picking out pieces that speak to your inner interior.

Looking for something sleek, modern and versatile? A Parsons desk is a perfect addition to your home.  What makes it a desk a Parsons desk? The depth and width of its square legs are the same thickness of the top. According to legend, it was created by students at the Paris branch of The Parsons School of Design, and very chic.

A petite desk works well in any bedroom, anything larger would be too aggressive for the relaxation of what should be a place of rest.

Add a cork-board back-splash around your kitchen desk! It creates a space you can really work with, helps keep your recipe ideas in one place and easily organizes your families activities.

Look at this piece.

Paint your desk for a pop of color. A fun trick is to paint a sophisticated desk a bright color.  You can dress your desk down and install it in your child's bedroom.

Pulling the desk away from the wall allows you to add some extra shelving for your books and supplies, and also makes the desk a focal point of the room. Helpful Tip: position the desk at an angle and make sure you take the time picking a desk that you love.

Talk about a custom fit! Helpful tip: avoid desks that are fussy with design and poor quality- you will spend more time mending your drawers and space then getting work done.

LOVE this design. The organic triangular shape with its Scandinavian bones contrasts nicely with the formal Edwardian features of the bay windows and fits perfectly in the nook. This office just screams urban-funk with its major mid-century modern points.

Love this unique secretary desk.....A great way to mold your space for all situations. When guests arrive, tuck your stationary away to open up the room.

Take advantage of the view by adding a desk in front of a large window

A room of our own! I love how built in shelves adds personality to the room and lets your display all your souvenirs. Your office should be a place that inspires so don't forget to allow some space of items that do just that.

Large Room, Large Desk!

Some desks are better off as a writing table so you can highlight the legs of your table and avoid cluttering the space with wires and cords.

This custom desk is perfect for large families who tend to jump into a work space and make a mess. These clever fold away desks hide the eye soar of piled work, chaotic papers and laptop wires.

This great work space was created by setting up two tables against each other. The large courter-top is perfect for kids to sit around and help with homework and such.

What to cook is not the only burden with preparing to have holiday dinner at your house, especially if you live in NYC. Where to put your guests can be the biggest dilemma. A great solution: extendable dining tables. Not only are the functional, maybe architects have created beautiful art pieces out of these tables.

Here is an extenidible table one of my clients HAD to have in thier Connecticut home. This masterpiece is the Amboise Table by  Jiun Ho and it fits wonderfully in this large dining room regardless of how many are sitting for dinner.

Make sure to keep inventory of your serveware. If you live to use your wedding silver, make sure its polished. If you are planning of serving your wine in crystal? Be sure to check each piece for chips. Sharpen your knives, count your bowls, just be sure you are ready for the big day, whenever that may be. And maybe a few unexpected plus ones.

Most importantly, display your pieces around your house. Its a great way to get your creative juices flowing when planning a big dinner. I absolutely LOVE the look of these dim-lit pantries.

Nothing cozys-up a living room other then a shag rug. Even if you have carpet in your home, shag rugs are easy to incorporate in your home just by aligning it with your couch or fireplace. They come in lots of materials, like mohair to spoil your feet and toes.

The trick with Shag is not to go wall to wall. This cozy carpet acts like a large dust-ruffle so its nice to have the freedom to shake it out once in awhile. I love how it adds a little vintage look to this super-modern bedroom.

Neutral is not the only color these long fibered rugs should come in, like this circular bright green shag that imitates a patch of fresh-cut green grass. The look plays off with the other accessories places around this room.

Free-Standing fireplaces! Its a great choice if you are looking to install a fireplace into a room in your home and you are on a budget. This custom free-standing fireplace works not only as a warm hearth but also a piece of art. This type of conversation piece is best planned out with an interior designer who knows what your specific room needs.

Talk about reviving retro! I Love the lacquer candy coat on this vintage fireplace that accents the other colors that pop in the room. Something like this may have been discarded in the past, but look how perfectly it fits in this home.

Flocked Wallpaper, yes it's back. But it is no longer a glimpse into the tacky times of the 60's and 70's. This texture on the walls only adds elegance to your home, like this warm chocolate bathroom.

Love this look. Elegant wall design with funky neon chairs make for a very interesting dining room!

This photo almost looks like a painting, but alas its the hand-picked accessories that match perfectly with the velvety wallpaper.

Rattan is not a trend of the past, nor your staple for patio furniture. These Johnathan Adler hanging chairs incorporate a bohemian theme to this home. Very casual and cool.

Rattan is a great material to use in your kitchen because it is very easy to clean. These Rattan bar stools are a perfect fit and color that blend well with the counter tops.

Rattan does not have to be rustic. Take, for example, these elegant living room chairs. Perfect for homes located in warmer weather but not strictly. I love how animal prints pair well with these type of chairs.

How luxurious! Known as the 5th wall, the ceiling is becoming more and more a focal point of these new trendy homes. The look is derived from the old Victorian homes, some of which you will find in mint condition in Charleston, SC or New Orleans.

Another example of a textured ceiling, except this style really grabs hold of the industrial look. With open plumbing, the ceiling looks unfinished but is a very classic way.

LOVE the look of this den with the peaking ceiling and wood paneling that accents the length of the room and the angles of the pool table and walls.

Don't be afraid of your glamorous side!  This dining room speaks of luxury, from the velvet chairs to the intricate wallpaper. But what sets this room apart are the hints of modernism with the subtle geometric rug and the simple traditional chandelier. The finished room is refined yet edgy and perfect for a more older thanksgiving crowd.

Along with your turkey trappings, this cozy room has all the trappings of traditional decor such as the blue and white palette, the handsome moldings and the stately trim. But this dining room is also very welcoming and tranquil. I love the drum-style chandelier and hounds-tooth rug, but I believe this room is really pulled off because of the long dark wood dining table and upholstered chairs.

Love this country chic folksy dining room. The pale finish really focuses its attention on the Gustavian dining set which combines traditional pieces with a humble feel. Add classic accents to the room such as the Swedish clock and art deco star by the window. This is great for a younger thanksgiving holiday, perfect for a pot-luck dinner.

Goodness is this room gracefully refined!  Love the polished dining table that doesn't need much in regards to decor. The room is laden with traditional pieces yet is not stogy or stuffy thanks to the well-chosen furnishings and accents that scream good taste.

Benches are an interesting choice for a formal dining space, but a smart one, especially if you are not exactly sure how many guests may seek refuge at your home on Thanksgiving day.  They create a look thats a little more casual and inviting, plus they make for cozy and versatile seating options.

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Contemporary Dining Room design by Portland Interior Designer Faith Cosgrove

Drapery with valance! This intalian inspired dining room is prefect for all your formal dinners, especially for the upcoming holidays. I love the feeling these luxurious window draperies add to the room along with the textured painted ceiling, very traditionally Italian.

Let go of the standard and integrate your dining room in any other area where you have the space, like this library.

After last week's tragedy with Hurricane Sandy, it's great to see faith in humanity restored as people donate their time and things to those in need.  The devastation of Sandy came as a shock to me and many of those whom I spoke to these last few days. Power outages that lasted days, people stranded without fuel, and worse of all, families left standing on empty lots where there homes once stood.

I spent hours this week sliding through photos of stylish rooms, luxurious homes with over the top decor, and I realized this weeks topic really such reach back to the basics. Back to the foundation of interior design, literally. The Basement is a space in your home that shouldn't be overlooked. Here are a few tips when designing your basement for old projects, and new.

Keep things white and clean for brighter space. The real issue with the basement is the lack of light, so brighten the space by using light colors, white looks great in the basement and spruce it up with small burst of color.

Another example of the same basement renovation. The designer wanted it to look clean and lack clutter so we created a secret door that hides your homes mechanics.

Loved the build-in shelf that frames the Television. The added storage helps you gives your basement personality by adding family photos and souvenirs.

It can look like this...

Instead of this...

Section off the room by placing the couch in the middle of the room so give your basement more purpose. This should be done stratigically. Brainstorm the things you hope to use your finished basement for, and then map out your ideas in a floor plan.

Loved this room that again creates zones. A large basement can easily handle several activities.

Insulate. The last thing you want is a noisy and chilly basement, especially if you are using the space for a bedroom. Spend a little extra and add good insulation to the walls, it is more time consuming and expensive but worth it.

A great tip is to use every nook and cranny. Under the stairs can prove to be an ideal spot for a desk and file storage, an extra closet or built-in shelving to hold craft supplies. You may find you have more of these little spaces then you thought. And again, brainstorm your layout so that you don't waste what you have.

Make sure your floor products are appropriate for the space. Used products that are coated and sealed off...most importantly, cement. Or use carpet tiles where moisture or flooding could be an issue.

Carpet tiles currently are a big trend for residential spaces, and many of the 24-by-24 inch tiles have a lifetime warranty. If irreparable damage happens on the floor, you can replace the damaged tile one at a time.

This is very important!! Create emergency escape routes. Before beginning construction, check your local building codes to learn what your basement's escape requirements are. The necessary routes can also enhance the room like installing large windows to add natural light.

If you live in a high risk area, don't be pressured to finish the basement. It is okay to leave some things uncovered, as long as its not safety and insulation.

If you don't have the light, make it up! This is a LED light wall which looks like real natural light is coming in through an semi opaque window. Put this wall on a dimmer and you have instant ambiance.