Marlene Oliphant Interior Design

08/02/2023

Love these plates for my patio wall!

11/23/2022

At The Flamingo Park in Ft Lauderdale. All my favorite colors!

12/22/2020

Our beautiful San Clemente pier at sunset with Catalina in the background! They placed a Christmas tree at the end. By Greg Gothjan.

12/21/2020

This is a stunning photo of our San Clemente pier at sunset! With the Christmas tree. Catalina is in the distance! Photo by Greg Gothjan.

11/18/2020

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! Here’s a handy chart for thawing that frozen turkey:

06/09/2020

Design Tip #12 for Sheltering in Style: Make Your Bedroom a Sanctuary Space 🌙

Many people spend time decorating the public rooms in their home, but when it comes to their bedroom space, it becomes a lower priority. Well, now is the time to pay attention!

1. Copy your favorite hotel suite. Think about that place you stayed on vacation that you never wanted to leave. What were the qualities of that room you’d like to duplicate?

2. The bed is the focal point of your bedroom. If you have a spring mattress, turn it every six months or so to minimize wear and tear. Get a new mattress if it’s been too long!
3. If you don’t like your headboard or bedframe, maybe it’s time to change the finish/recover the headboard/buy a new bed frame and headboard.
4. Start with a good mattress cover, which protects from staining. Invest in some beautiful new sheets. Even is selling luxurious sheets that will make your night. Percale and linen are cooler than high-thread count sheets if you tend to get hot; buy flannel if you get cold. Ditch your old blankets and pick up a new coverlet, bedspread or duvet. Try
5. Make your bed wall the focal point. Consider adding wallpaper to the wall behind your bed, or a darker tone of paint that sets off your furniture. A large piece of lattice or some simple moldings applied in a grid pattern lend some needed architecture.
6. Add the suite part. Include a chair or small sitting area in your bedroom if possible. A bench at the end of the bed also works.
7. Do you like to read in bed or your easy chair? Add the reading light where you need it. Change out or add sconces over the bed when circumstances allow.
8. Your bedroom is a great place for family photos, a landscape or two you picked up while on vacation, or framed photos of your favorite places.

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06/08/2020

Design Tip #11 for Sheltering in Style: The Home Office Makeover 📁

There is no time like the present to address your personal needs! When you add up the time you spend in your office, it’s worth using some practical tips to make it work better for you.

1. Location, location! A room with a door is the most ideal, think about traffic flow… can you find a corner that won’t be rife with interruptions from other family members? Treat yourself to a nearby window with a view if you can. Place your equipment where it won’t be affected by direct sunlight.
2. I find that a table or desk that is at least 50-60” long is ideal for a workspace. If you don’t have a desk, utilize a table, a secretary, or a slab of butcherblock placed over two small bookcases or file cabinets. Try
3. Clear the clutter and find a place for everything. Shred all of the paper you don’t need. Is it really necessary to have ten file drawers of paper? Consolidate!
4. For a good guide on determining what papers to keep read this excellent article by financial expert Dave Ramsey https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/organizing-your-important-documents
5. Paint your office in a color that pleases you. If you are stuck with brown furniture, paint some or all of your pieces. Or even the backs of your bookcases!
6. Add some attractive desktop lighting. A table lamp or two adds a homey touch. Try
7. Buy the best desk chair you can afford. Even if you only spend an hour or two at a time in your home office, a good desk chair will be well worth the expense. Try the store. Add a floor protector under a rolling chair to protect your floor or carpet.
8. Pick up a wire organizer at any online office supply. You can find types that attach to the desk and keep the mess out of sight. Try
9. Add a piece or two of artwork, a rug, a pretty window treatment, some accessories for your desk and a potted plant!

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05/24/2020

Design Tip #10 for Sheltering in Style: Change Up the Details ✨

By now if you’ve had some fun with my decorating tips for sheltering in place, you might be feeling a lot better about your home. I hope so!

One of the most important aspects of interior design is in the details. If you are the slightest bit handy with a screwdriver, pliers, or a drill, well then! You’ve got it made when it comes to making the details special.

These six finishing touches will make all of the difference in your rooms!

1. Redress cabinets or furniture with new hardware. New handles or pulls are just what the doctor ordered for your kitchen or bath cabinetry, that old dresser or the doors in your home. One caveat: measure the distance between the holes for the pulls you currently have, it’s called the center-on-center measure. This will save you lots of hassle!
2. Try a new finish: Brass finishes are making a comeback and so is black. Check out ***s ***s
3. Add new brackets to shelves. Any open shelving you have, or even a special shelf in your closet can be jazzed up with a snazzy new bracket. Pay attention to the depth of your shelf, and make sure that the bracket supports two-thirds the depth of your shelf. Try
4. Choose beautiful new options for passage doors. Door handles are pretty exciting right now! Though a front door lock set will be a more complicated installation, it’s pretty easy to change out a regular passage set on an existing interior door. Try
5. Update floor and wall heat register covers. Again, beauty and style reign in this category. Try
6. Hooks, racks, and rods: Towel bars, robe hooks, storage racks for the bath, and all manner of items such as these are yours for the asking. Check the links listed here to get you started. Coordinate finishes for a great look.

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05/21/2020

Design Tip #9 for Sheltering in Style: Time for a Clothes Closet Revamp 👜

How coincidental that during this sheltering in place event in our lives, the seasons are also changing to the warm and wonderful spring and summer seasons of new growth!

And a change of season always sends us to our closets! Here are ten tips for tweaking your closet as we go into warmer weather:

1. Time to declutter. Marie Kondo is right! If it doesn’t bring you joy, get rid of it! Having lots of trouble with this? Hire a Wardrobe Consultant to help you do the deed!
2. Divide the discards into piles: items to resell, items to gift to others or donate, and items to discard.
3. Wash/Clean/Repair: Another pile you should have are items that are stained/need dry cleaning/washing, or items that need repairs. Make a list of repairs and either mend it yourself this week or send to the cleaners.
4. Store out-of-season clothing. There are long rectangular plastic bins that fit the top shelves to store tops and sweaters. Dresses, skirts, pants, and blouses can go into a spare bedroom closet. Stash out-of-season shoes in plastic shoe boxes.
5. Hangers are a big deal. Ditch those wire hangers or the hangers with paper rolls attached. Your clothes deserve better! Good hangers help preserve the line of your clothing. Try Zober Hangers from which have indents to keep shoulder straps from slipping off.
6. Organize items by type and color. This goes for clothing that is hung or stacked on shelves.
7. Store accessories so you can see what you have. I use drawers/bins for items like scarves (ironed, folded and stacked), large belts (coiled up), and small purses.
8. Take control of jewelry. Use a drawer with dividers for short necklaces, bracelets and pins. has lucite trays with velvet liners which work great for earrings.
9. Store expensive sunglasses in a separate container with a soft liner.
10. You need a double-hang closet system if you don’t have one already. Try a DIY one online or an online estimate for a custom closet manufacturer.

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05/19/2020

Design Tip #8 for Sheltering in Style: Transform a Problem Wall!

There’s nothing like sheltering in place for a few weeks to make you hyper-aware of the problem areas in your home! We’ve all had them.

Here are my top ten tips for dealing with a blank or uninteresting wall that’s just “there”.

1. Hang artwork in threes or multiples. You can choose three different photographs or pieces of art that you like in colors or scenes that please you.
2. Go black and white. A grouping of black and white framed pieces or photos is a unique way of displaying art in a hallway, an entryway wall, or behind a sofa or desk.
3. Go big. Move a large cabinet or pair of bookcases to your wall. Accessorize to pick up the colors in your room.
4. Balance the view. Combine a large plant with a large art canvas. Plants have a lovely way of adding an organic touch to any décor.
5. Enlist a picture ledge over a sofa or console table for a handy display area. Place small mirrors, photos of other framed pieces on the ledge and change them out at will.
6. Add a bold patterned wallpaper to your wall. The bigger the print the better! See tip number 5 for more info on wallpaper and sources.
7. Give it dimension. If you are handy add new moldings to your wall to give it added architecture.
8. Hang texture. Hang a favorite rug or wall hanging. Check online for tapestry rods to help affix your masterpiece to the wall.
9. Hang a collection of plates platters or other antiques to your wall. A collection of smaller items always gives a better impression than hanging one small item.
10. Place a room divider or screen next to the wall. Folding screens provide an interesting dimension to an otherwise boring wall.

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05/13/2020

Design Tip #7 for Sheltering in Style: Brush on Some Color Genius 🎨

Yes, we are talking paint here. The world of paint has changed drastically over the years. Companies like and have produced wonderful products that go on in a single coat, with a depth of color never before achieved. The color trends I’m seeing now are reaching into the deeper, jewel-toned colors for kitchens, ivories and neutrals for minimalist spaces, and vivid turquoise and cobalt blues in fabrics, window coverings and patio furnishings. You can even pick it up curbside at your favorite paint store!

How should you choose a color? Try one of these tricks:

- Observe colors in fashion. The color trends that pervade our world begin with fashion and cars of the moment and trickle down to furniture, accessories and yes, paint!

- Choose a color and view it in your room. I ask my clients: do you have a favorite outfit, scarf or accessory you love? Start with that. Try apps from & to see the color in your space virtually.

- Start small. If your chosen color is a vivid one, begin by trying a piece of furniture, a fireplace mantel, the shelves and back of a bookcase, or a closet door.

- Preview your wall color. You can get peel-and-stick paint samples made with real paint from making experimenting even easier!

- Paint for effect. Choose one wall to make an impact, or a wall above a chair rail. One clever trick is to paint all of the baseboards, moldings, and ceiling beams in your room a color that really contrasts with the walls!

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05/12/2020

05/06/2020

Design Tip #6 for Sheltering in Style: Take a Fresh Look at Your Kitchen 🍴

We’re talking easy updates you can make today or this week, thanks to the internet. Your kitchen will work better for you than ever before!

1. Critique all of your dishes and glassware – if you are looking at a stack of chipped plates remove them and toss them. Remove everything that doesn’t match or that exists in sets less than for and pack them up for give away.

2. Use the good stuff – Most people only use their “good” china, silver, and glassware on holidays or when entertaining. Move it into your kitchen for easier access. At my house we use everything everyday! I mix and match flatware to keep things interesting.

3. Appraise your cookware and cooking utensils – ditch those bent tongs and ratty old spatulas that partially melted on top of your range. Ditto for the rusted-out cookie sheets and baking pans! Now is time to stock up on some nice new pieces on sale, look for good brands such as All Clad and Calphalon.

4. Cleaning scene – Now that you have those things out of the cabinets, scrub them down with a mild soap and water solution. Clean your oven and your range-top vent (most vents have removeable grills that can be placed in the dishwasher), and even your fridge!

5. Food storage is next – Plow through everything and store all foodstuffs with the freshest products in the back and those nearing expiration in the front. Organize, label, and transfer contents to plastic containers instead.

6. Be savvy with your spices! How many cooks keep spices for years on end without a thought? Spices normally should be replaced within 6 months or a year. Check out the expiration dates and be ruthless!

7. Improve your storage – There are all kinds of storage “hacks” on sites like Put in a search term like “kitchen storage” and voila.

8. Add the aesthetics – Now for some fresh kitchen towels, a runner or rug (outdoor rugs work great in a kitchen space). Change out cabinet hardware.

9. If you’re handy – change out the fixtures over your island or kitchen table. Paint the backs of your glass-front cabinets.

05/05/2020

Design Tip #5 for Sheltering in Style: Add Some Wow with Wallpaper!

Wallpaper is bigger than ever before, and I have used it in almost every project room I have designed. From textural grass cloths to tropical palm prints, it has never been more in style.

1. One or two rolls will often do it: try ordering one or two rolls to use for fun projects. Try or ‘s site for starters. Don’t forget the recommended adhesive for your project.

2. Small projects: Cover a lampshade, line your dresser drawers, or cover the fronts of your drawers/ doors on a favorite piece that needs a new face! Then brush on a couple coats of clear sealer to protect it.

3. Big impact for small effort: One of my favorite tricks is to paper the back wall of a bookcase. I’ve also seen wallpaper bits used on stair risers!

4. Single wall transformations: Who says you have to cover all four walls? Try papering just the wall behind your bed or sofa (the “focal” wall of your room). Go bold!

5. Family photos to murals: There are websites that will take one of your favorites photos from a vacation or family event and blow it up into mural size to use on a family room or powder room wall.

6. Big impact on small rooms: Papering a powder room or laundry room isn’t quite as daunting as papering a larger room. A large or bold print can make a great impact.

Don’t know how to hang wallpaper? Checkout this helpful how-to: (https://www.wallpaperdirect.com/how-to-hang-wallpaper)

Have fun!

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05/02/2020

Design Tip #4 for Sheltering in Style: Add Some Pop to Your Patio

1. Cleaning First: Look critically at your patio set-up for the spring and summer seasons. Start by cleaning: scrub down your furniture pieces and cushions. Wrought iron or metal furniture can be cleaned with a mild solution of dish soap and water, then rinsed if it’s really dirty.

2. Repaint: If your furniture could use a new coating or paint, check out a patio furniture restoration service. Many of these companies can provide the same finish as the original manufacturer.

3. Think conversation areas: Arrange your outdoor furnishings just as you would at home with conversation in mind. Even large patios are divided into areas for dining, socializing, or convening around the fire pit.

4. Fill in with new: Curved furnishings, designed to fit around a fire pit can be found on many furniture sites. Side chairs and tables that look like inside furniture are specially designed to withstand elements. Try www. Frontgate.com/whats-new/guides/outdoor-furniture to get you started

5. Lights, art, fire: Add some accessories! A ceramic stool to use as a side table, a new umbrella, outdoor wall art, barbeque tools, planters, a heater, a fountain or a fire pit, outdoor floor lamps or lanterns, all can make being outside more fun.

6. Add an outdoor rug: I’m a big fan of outdoor rugs, they wear exceptionally well and can be simply hosed off or wiped with a soapy rag to clean! A colorful rug can anchor your seating area.

7. Check out some of my favorite sources for furniture:






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(Photo credit to: )

04/29/2020

Design Tip #3 for Sheltering in Style: Mirrors Can Be Magic!

A mirror, or group of mirrors can add a new dimension to just about any room in your home. Mirrors reflect light, bring in the outdoors with their reflections, and always make rooms appear larger. They work well opposite a window when there is a lovely view outside, and create the illusion of a window on a windowless wall. ✨

Some guidelines –

- Notice the reflection that is provided by the mirror on the wall, placement is key.
- You want your mirror (or the center mirror in a grouping) to be at eye level for the average person.
- Don’t be afraid of using very large mirrors! These work well over a sofa or in a tall entryway, or even a dining room as I did for a client here.
- Consider shapes: geometric or round shapes are very interesting!
- Put several mirrors together on your wall as an arrangement.
- You can even place small mirrors on the back of a bookshelf or hang a piece of art over a large wall mirror.

Have fun with your mirrors, for spaces that will be the best reflection of you.

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@ Los Angeles, California