Don’t forget to tune in tonight to see my debut on Hotel Impossible at 10pm on the Travel Channel! Here’s a sneak peak. http://www.travelchannel.com/video/i-hate-the-color-purple

I will be live tweeting so let me know what you think!

Hello Everyone! I’m so excited to announce a new show that I’m a part of called Hotel Impossible on the Travel Network. I along side Host Anthony Melchiorri put our skills together and transform hotels to get them back on track, and help improve their business! With Anthony’s Experience in the hotel industry combined with my unique and incredible design skills. We give you something you can’t miss! IT’S A MUST SEE!

So put that reminder on your phones, set your DVR’S and enjoy an incredible show on April 16th 10pm.

Check this out:

http://www.travelchannel.com/photos/hotel-impossible-sneak-peek-pictures

IMM Living and Burkedecor.com have teamed up to give you some amazing products at a discounted price!I’m so excited about the opportunity I was given to giveaway someamazing products from IMM Living. Just send me a picture of a space in your home that shows your style diva or divo and win one of these prizes! Do you have a small closet that you turned into a funky office, or does your kitchen reflect your inner chef. Then we want to see it! We’ll post the winning spaces on my blog. So join in the fun now, you have three days to show me what your made of!

If you just can’t wait to own one of these items and want to see more then take advantage of this opportunity and get some really cool things by going to http://www.burkedecor.com/imm-Living-s/12400.htm and using the code IMMLIVING and get 15% off. They have created playful but yet functional ceramic accessories for your home décor. IMM Living strives in bringing you products that can help express your design taste, while also being a great conversational piece. These products can be used as gifts for someone special. Designing your space should be fun. Finish it by adding the right accessories. IMM Living is a great way to start!
Below you will find how I used their products in my space. I had so much fun doing this!

Hi everyone,

I know i haven’t written in a while but this has been a crazy year..but in a great way! I’ve been working on a project that i can’t wait to tell you all about…but unfortunately it will have to wait. I know..i want to spill the beans too, but for now mums the word. What i can talk about are the great changes i just added to our web site. First of all in the “About us” section you will find two new additions to the team. The first is my assistant Maeva Fouche, who has been with the team for quite a while but is now making her first online debut. She is my right hand and also my close confidant, I would not be able to run the business i have without her help. The next addition and also the most important..sorry Maeva.. is my dog Maddox. He’s five pounds of love and charisma. His best attribute is being able to close a design deal in a blink of an eye.

You will also be able to glimps some of the new projects we are working on when you go to the “In the works” page. We have a mansion in Atlanta Georgia that includes a theatre, in ground pool, an elevator, and three living rooms. Then we have a doctors office in Cliffton NJ that has been designed using the Feng Shui method. We have a home remodel, kitchen gut and renovation in Summit NJ that is a great mix of earthy and funky all rolled into one. And lastly we have another home in Summit NJ that will be a balance of refinement and elegance.

Some new additions to our “Projects page” is a home in Summit NJ that belongs to a young couple with lots of travel under their belt. You will see a subway tiled bathroom that blurs the lines of classic and modern european. And the same home will feature a asian/craftsman style bath with a whole wall of honey onyx. The kitchen is equiped with custom hand made tile, a stunning stone island and top of the line appliances. And since the lady of the house works from home, we turned her walk in attice into a studio. The studio features custom cabinetry and a reclaimed coffee table made out of old lockers and custom painted pumpkin orange.

You will also find two new office projects on the “Projects” page. One is a small lawyers office in Wehawken NJ and the other is a Doctors Urgent Care Walk In, on West 13th street in Manhattan NY. Both offices wanted a modern New York City vibe, and I believe we delivered exactly just that.

We have had a great year at B.garcia designs, as you will see if you visit our press page. I was fortunate enough to be on HGTV’s Design Star, NBC’s House Smarts, Better TV, and Daytime. We were also published in Latina, Wall Street Journal, Love To Know, RedBook, Cliq, Downtown, and About.com. Most of which would not have been possible without my PR team at LCO in Beverly Hills California!

So needless to say i am proud of my team and of the work we have accomplished. I hope you will enjoy them as well!

Sincerely Yours,

Blanche Garcia

Q&A: Fall Decor Tips from HGTV Design Star’s Blanche Garcia

(Above: In which I attempt to take Blanche’s advice with decor in my kitchen.)
Something about autumn inspires otherwise-indifferent homemakers to take a swing at seasonal decorating. I’m convinced it’s a magical time: When I was in college, even the guys down the hall with a hole cut in the side of their fridge for their keg tap managed to arrange a few gourds on their windowsill when October rolled around. More power to them, I say!
The trouble starts when enthusiasm becomes overkill – when a few candles on the mantel or colorful leaves on the dining room table turn into an army of creepy scarecrows in the yard and rooms which smell like a terrible fight between a pumpkin pie and a Christmas tree. So where’s the balance? I turned to Blanche Garcia – HGTV Design Star contestant, principal/interior designer at B. Garcia Designs in New Jersey, and “green glam” design specialist – for answers (and some tough love on stinky candles, which are my traditional excess of choice). Here’s what she had to say.

REDBOOK: How much scent is just right for a home? Fall and winter holidays have all sorts of wonderful smells associated with them, but so many people overdo it. Where’s the line between atmospheric and cloying?
Blanche: Never mix scents! You can use two or three candles at once in an entire home, but make sure they’re all the same scent. If you’ve got a strong scent, like pine cones or cinnamon, just use one scented candle, and use scentless for the rest to achieve the right ambiance. Personally, I prefer reed sticks in a diffuser; they’re more natural, and you don’t have to worry about setting a fire. You can also create a great mood with battery-operated candles.
REDBOOK: Which scents are the biggest crowd-pleasers, and which should be avoided?
Blanche: Foods are top scents; they trigger the memory of family dinners and automatically create a warm feeling. Stay away from themed scents like “Christmas Time” or “Autumn Scent” – they usually smell the most manufactured. I love a natural soy candle any day.
REDBOOK: I’ve heard that having scent in your home when you’re serving food is a no-no, as the aromas will clash. True?
Blanche: If it’s very light then it’s okay – but unless you burned the food, you don’t need extra smells hanging around! My only allowance is a scent in the bathroom; a lightly scented candle gives your guests a break from all the aromas of the food.
REDBOOK: Part of the fun of decorating for fall is bringing harvest-themed items from the yard and the farmer’s market inside and incorporating them in decor. Can that be sophisticated?
Blanche: Don’t overdo it! More of one item looks more dramatic than tons of several things will. Pick a favorite, like gourds, and pile them in a clear bowl in the center of the table.
REDBOOK: Should lighting change as the seasons change? I’m turning my lights on earlier lately as the days get shorter and shorter, of course, but should I be increasing the lighting in my apartment, or doing, say, uplighting?
Blanche: A smart system [that is, a timer which coordinates when your lights go on and off, automatically] is literally the smartest investment; you can adjust it for the seasons, and it saves you a ton on energy bills. Also, you want to keep the creeping winter blues away with warmer light as well as layers of light; adding dimmers to your existing lamps can create a warm environment.

Bottom line: Less is more, going natural is always a safe bet, and the keg-a-rator guys were right about the gourds all along. Thanks, Blanche!

Read more: Q&A: Fall Decor Tips from HGTV Design Star’s Blanche Garcia – Redbook

http://www.redbookmag.com/recipes-home/blogs/cooking/fall-decor-tips-from-blanche-garcia

So excited to share with my readers that an interview I did with Homeportfolio.com was picked up by The Wall Street Journal. Here is the trail and I hope you enjoy the article !

The Wall Street Journal

Decorating Tips for Fall
(Posted on PURE CONTEMPORARY Design Blog at Wed, Oct 05, 2011 at 02:56AM)
HGTV star and interior design guru Blanche Garcia sat down with Home Portfolio to give her take on how to transition our decor to reflect the warmth of the fall season. Now that the days are getting shorter and the nights chillier, what can homeowners do to transition their decor to reflect the chan (visit source article)

• Switch out your bedspread for a poufy down comforter, and change your sheets to ones with a heavier weight/higher thread count.

• Protect your outdoor furniture with fitted covers. Several online retailers sell great covers that fit all sizes of outdoor furniture.

• Change out your pillows, throws, smaller rugs, and even your bath towels to ones with warmer colors, such as aubergine and burnt orange.

• Create a mudroom area. Most of us don’t have the luxury of a dedicated mudroom, but you can create one by dedicating a space right next to the front door for boots and coats. The last thing you want in fall and winter is to track damp and debris throughout the house. It’s messy, not to mention unsanitary. This is one instance where it is worthwhile making an investment in a piece of furniture such as a wooden coat rack, a bench, or an antique storage chest that can act as an instant mudroom.

• Bring the outdoors inside with branches, seasonal produce such as apples and gourds, and beautiful fall flowers. Go for simple arrangements, such as a wooden bowl filled with apples as a table centerpiece or a vase filled with interesting branches on the mantelpiece. A concentrated arrangement in one place makes more of a visual impact than several smaller, scattered arrangements. Think 20 oranges in a bowl, versus one on a mantelpiece.