The document provides an interview with celebrity interior designer Rachel Ashwell where she shares decorating tips and advice. Some of her tips include simplifying decor, avoiding too much matching and clutter, using slipcovers to lighten furniture, adding lighting, and making lists. She recommends starting decorating projects by clearing out unused items and painting. For those on a budget, she advises keeping designs simple with a few key items like sofas, rugs, and fresh flowers. The document also features photos of a modern house renovation in Brazil and advertisements from home stores.

1. CASA
Issue 1
5/2011
10 €
Interview with a top
decorator:
RACHEL ASWELL
PHOTO GALLERY:
MODERN HOUSE
IN BRAZIL
Renovating:
Townhouse in Paris

2. CELEBRITY DECORATOR
1
GIVES DESIGN TIPS
Rachel Ashwell is one of the most successful and well-
known interior designers. She has worked with several
celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Anthony
Hopkins and Julia Roberts. She is the founder of Shabby
Chic and also the host of the TV program of the same
“LESS IS
MORE”
name. ‘Shabby Chic’ is a term that reflects Ashwell’s
decorative tendencies.
She was happy to answer some of the basic questions
about designing your home and share some of her tips
and tricks.
Q. What are some of the common decorating mis- Q. What advice do you have for someone with
takes made by homeowners? What’s your advice a new house to decorate and perhaps a limited
on how to avoid or correct those mistakes? budget? What advice do you wish someone had
given you about funishing your own home when
Rachel Ashwell: “One of my pet peeves is too you first started out?
much matching, clutter, frills and people being too
quick to complete the decorating process. The so- Rachel Ashwell: “Less is more.
lution is to simplify. Be without, rather than mak- Choose a few select items -- a sofa, table, rug,
ing a wrong quick choice. Less is more.” chandalier.
Keep whatever you have simple.
Q. What would be your recommendation for “what Try and have fresh flowers, even three separate
to do first” in a decorating project? buds vases which adds luxury and beauty.
Fragrance is nice as well, so incorporating candles
Rachel Ashwell: “Clear out anything that is not (vanilla) is always nice.”
used and get rid of it.
Lighten furniture with slipcovers. Q. Can you comment on what you see in color
Paint trends?
Add lighting.
Make list of items to look for, i.e. chandelier, rug, Rachel Ashwell: “I don’t really follow trends as I
side table.” stick to my palette of pale green, pale pink, pale
blue, cream and ivories.”
Q. What tips do you have on decorating a room for
a baby or young child?
Rachel Ashwell: “Don’t use miniature furniture as
it is too short-lived. A crib should always be new in
case child chews on railings, and obviously avoid
lead paint.” “TRY FRESH
FLOWERS”

3. DREAM HOME IN MAKING
2
A Married couple from Mexico moved to France, Paris. They decided to find an old house
and renovate it.
Anne-Marie Midy and Jorge Almada
knew it was going to be a challenge
to move their family from a provin-
cial Mexican town, San Miguel de
Allende, to Paris. First, there were
the logistics of buying and renovat-
ing an overseas townhouse, largely
over the Internet. The couple worried
about how their toddler sons, Olivier
and Antoine, would adapt to a place
where everything from language to
weather would be dramatically differ-
ent. The transition before them was
daunting enough—and then along
came the barracuda.
Downstairs family room
Renovating a home across an ocean
had its complications. When the
workers steamed off the old wallpa-
per, the walls beneath crumbled and
had to be replastered—an unfore-
seen expense and delay. At one point,
the construction foreman e-mailed
Midy that the color she had speci-
fied for the library upstairs—a grayish
lavender known in French as parme—
was so ugly he assumed it was a
mistake. He told the workers to stop
painting. “Continue,” came Midy’s
response.
Kitchen Guest bedroom
Today, in their serene townhouse, it’s
hard to imagine the serious calam-
ity that she and her family endured.
Midy, who loves to cook, bustles
around her new modern kitchen.
The boys, now four and five, chase
each other around the main floor’s
spacious parlors, which are made
luminous by their pale-gray walls,
decorative plasterwork, and bleached
oak-plank floors. Meanwhile, Al-
mada, prepares for the opening of a
Casamidy showroom on the ground
floor of the townhouse.

4. MODERN, YET WARM HOUSE
3
by Studio Guilherme Torres in Londrina, Brazil
View from the living area to the dining area View from the dining area to the living area
Toilet on the groundfloor View from the kitchen View to the courtyard
Frontview of the house Dining area

5. ADVERTISING
4
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New home decorating collection
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+123 456 789 000

6. 5
The Best
That’s how easy it is, to find the best quality in

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GALLERY-
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