Patricia Hart McMillan

Patricia Hart McMillan is a nationally known interior designer, whose interior design work for private clients, designer showcases, and corporations has appeared in publications worldwide, including the New York Times and USA Today. Known as a trend spotter and for clearly articulated views on design, she is quoted frequently and extensively in both trade and consumer publications. She a ppears on TV and talk radio. A prolific writer, she is coauthor and author of seven books on interior design and decoration, with Sun Country Style signature collections of furniture based on two books. She has taught decorating courses at several colleges and conducted numerous seminars across the U.S. She is decorating editor for Christian Woman Magazine and reports on design trends for The Sun-Sentinel, a Tribune newspaper based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She has been editor-in-chief of two publications and was head of a New York City-based public relations firm representing some of the most prestigious names in home furnishing and building products. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in art history (with an emphasis in architecture), from the State University of New York (New Paltz). She was awarded a certificate from The New York School of Interior Design.

Articles & Books From Patricia Hart McMillan

Cheat Sheet / Updated 11-29-2022
Home decorating draws on your creative side, as well as your inner engineer. Whether you dabble in home decorating or make it a career, you get to play with color, texture, and pattern, in addition to tape measures, graph paper, and paint. Finding the furniture you want is important, and so is doing the planning that makes your decorating a delight.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Creating a focal point in a room without architectural elements (like a fireplace or beautiful window) can be challenging. A focal point makes a room feel inviting, provides balance, and is the basis for your decorating. Many newer homes have plain, boxy rooms that lack architectural interest. Establishing a focal point is worth the effort, because without one, a room will feel disorganized and messy.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Curtains and draperies work hard at blocking light, sound, and temperature. In addition to these functions, they’re also extraordinarily decorative, adding enormous personality to a room through color, pattern, and texture. When choosing a patterned fabric for a curtain, especially an unlined curtain, scrunch the fabric in your hand.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Shades, blinds, and shutters are hard window treatments, as opposed to curtains, which are soft treatments. When used alone, hard window treatments provide crispness to a Contemporary room. For clarity’s sake, we call the old-fashioned roller type (up and down) shades, and the newer verticals and horizontals (once called Venetians) blinds.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Whether you're redecorating one room or hiring a professional designer to revamp your entire living space, it helps you to understand the basics of interior design and what they encompass. A design is an orderly arrangement of five basic elements: Color, the creator of illusion and maker of mood Form, the overall shape of any object Line, the implied direction or boundary of an object Mass, the bulk of an object that occupies space Texture, the touch me, feel me of matter All artists, whether painters, sculptors, architects, or interior decorators work with these same basic elements to achieve certain effects, all of which must work together to form a unified whole.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
When it comes to buying art, there is one main rule: Buy what you love and can afford regardless of the type of art. Don’t hesitate to hang different types of art together. The only time you shouldn’t mix fine, decorative, and fun art is when it doesn’t look good together. Following are some tried-and-true tips for selecting art: Buy art that speaks to you: Well, not literally, but something that makes you laugh, sing, feel nostalgic, or jump for joy.
Article / Updated 05-27-2022
The bed is the key piece of furniture in any bedroom, and it naturally becomes the focal point. Bedroom furniture is traditionally arranged according to a few general rules. For the most part based on common sense, here are some general guidelines for you to follow: Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/hikesterson Traditionally, folks tend to place a double, queen-sized, or king-sized bed against the center of the wall opposite the main door to the room.
Article / Updated 12-11-2023
Updating kitchen cabinets make tired drab kitchens look fresh again. Knowing how to update kitchen cabinets, can save you the cost of completely replacing them. Most cabinets, no matter how unattractive or outdated, can be drastically improved by following the tips below. Clean your cabinets. A good cleaning may bring new luster to tired but handsome wood.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Color can change a room by creating a mood, disguise flaws, and create illusions. Knowing how to use color in a room reinforces your design ideas. To make a room look bigger, use light, cool colors to create an atmospheric look. Paint all surfaces the same color and match the upholstery to the flooring. Add interest with contrasting textures.
Article / Updated 03-26-2016
Just because you have old tile doesn't mean you have to replace it. If you know how to update old tile you can transform even a powder puff pink bathroom into a modern contemporary spa. Tile is expensive to replace. Fortunately, you have options. Faux paint. Paint the wall above the tile, using layers of color that relate to the old tile.